CCTV's 315 Gala exposes height-increasing scams: relying on sales tactics to falsely promote pseudoscience

According to the CCTV 315 Gala report, various merchants on online platforms claim they can install “accelerators” in children’s bones to easily increase teenagers’ height by several centimeters. These tempting promises appeal to many parents’ hopes. However, while this business is booming in the market, the “3.15” Gala has also received multiple complaints from consumers claiming they have been deceived.

A manager from “Anlishen Youth Physical Height Increase,” a chain with multiple branches, stated that using Anlishen’s device stimulates the child’s growth plates, causing (cell) secretion to increase, and helping children grow taller faster. All of their stores attract parents with core promises of “contract guarantees and full refunds if ineffective.”

Do they really offer full refunds if ineffective? Can they physically increase a child’s height?

The head of Anlishen Youth Physical Height Increase headquarters said they have an advantage: children are naturally going to grow, even if they don’t come to their clinic, but they wouldn’t tell parents this.

Not only is Anlishen deceiving consumers, but another nationwide chain, Deji Rui Youth Physical Height Increase, also offers similar height-increasing programs. They have the same pricing and promise full refunds if ineffective. Unlike other similar stores, they claim to have an exclusive physical height-increasing technology based on a self-developed sound wave device.

Do these so-called core height-increasing devices really have the effects claimed by merchants? The device manufacturer’s representative said the device’s main function is anti-inflammatory and pain relief, unrelated to height increase. Additionally, the manufacturer’s instructions explicitly state that children under 14 are prohibited from using it.

Merchants use pseudo-scientific language to deceive consumers. The 3.15 investigation also found that many children and parents who received this service reported that the actual height increase was not satisfactory.

These physical height-increasing institutions not only target teenagers for consumer fraud but also claim that they can increase the height of adults whose growth plates have already closed.

They constantly change their tactics for different groups, clearly aiming to exploit height anxiety as a consumer scam. Although industry insiders know that once the growth plates close, natural height increase is impossible, another company, Yingruike Body Height and Constitution Adjustment Center, claims it can achieve “closure height increase,” defying scientific knowledge.

Yingruike’s representative said they can incorporate physiological adjustments, psychological interventions, and even metaphysical methods. As long as parents are willing to pay, they can include these in their height-increasing packages.

However, when asked about the scientific basis and medical support for their height-increasing schemes, Mr. Pan stated he has no medical data or clinical validation reports; he just wants to make money.

By the end of the 3.15 investigation, such height-increasing stores continued to expand and open new branches. For example, Deji Rui currently has over seventy stores across ten provinces. Anlishen has more than sixty stores, and Yingruike has over thirty franchise stores. Relying on sales pitches and false claims of advanced technology and patents, these merchants promoting height myths are deceiving consumers and making huge profits in the market.

(Compiled from the CCTV 3.15 Gala report)

(Editors: Yang Yan, Lin Chen)

Keywords: Medical