China's media regulator State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) has banned local celebrities, who have been involved in drugs, prostitution, or other law-breaking actions, from appearing on Chinese television, movie screens, or other forms of broadcast.

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State-run China Daily reported on Thursday that the ban, which includes online media, radio, and advertisements, is meant to "keep the industry healthy."

In a statement, the SAPPRFT said that "celebrities who break the law should not be invited to appear in programs, and transmission of their words should be suspended."

"Their actions not only broke the law, but also destroyed morality in the society," the agency noted.

"As public figures, they had damaged the image of the entertainment industry and set a bad example for young people," it added.

Because of the directive, TV networks will not be allowed to even invite scandal-hit stars to their live entertainment programs.

Commercials featuring tainted celebrities will also be pulled from TV networks and the Internet.

It was unclear how long the prohibition would be in effect.

The order comes as a major blow to many of the upcoming stars that were earlier arrested by authorities due to their involvement on drugs and prostitution.

Just last month, actor Jaycee Chan, the son of international action star Jackie Chan, was formally arrested for illegal drug offenses.

Jaycee along with the Taiwanese actor Ko Kai was caught smoking marijuana at a foot massage parlor in Beijing on August 14.

Police subsequently raided young Chan's home, where they found around 100 grams of weed.

It was also last month when award-winning Chinese film director Wang Quan'an has been arrested by authorities for allegedly hiring and paying a prostitute for sex.

Following a declaration by President Xi Jinping in June that he would wipeout illegal drugs and he would severely punish the offenders, a series of celebrity detentions and arrests for alleged drug use and other offenses have been reported in recent months.

Other Chinese celebrities that were also nabbed because of their involvement in drugs were actor Roy Cheung, director Zhang Yuan, and screenwriter Ning Caishen.

Earlier this year, the association and 42 performing arts organizations in Beijing agreed to avoid employing stars, who use drugs.

Meanwhile, the ban got mixed response among Chinese online commentators.

While some praised the move, others said banning a production involving various others is not fair.

"What's strange is that all those movies were not made by one actor. All the other actors and crew of the movie were all innocent," a blogger, who goes by the name of Wuyue Sanren, posted in Weibo.

"Good films or other works cannot rely on one star. Instead they are the fruit of many celebrities. So it's not reasonable to eliminate the products," another blogger said. 

TagsJaycee Chan, Kai Ko, SAPPRFT, Ban, Drugs, TV, movie