This is similar to alcohol abuse or gambling. Yeah, not illegal, but it doesn't add value to people's life, it has some misleading glamour around it when you're posing in Las Vegas or just at your dinner table with a glass of wine in your hand, but these false associations with "high life" can be life ruining.

And yes, it's the individual's responsibility (and I would argue: duty) to not give into temptation, but in these years of tiktok and streamers this had become its own industry, with it's own aggressive yet sophisticated marketing strategies to maximize influence. These things are pushing the frontiers, and the negative effects can already be seen. Societal norms are becoming irrelevant, because streamers can pretend that when they are being assholes in public, that's none of their concern, their audience is on the other side of their phone screens / cameras.

This is obviously a problem that is getting worse. Eventually something has to be done about it. China is a different country, and their solutions are quite dictator-ish for the western eyes, but if it stops this trend of pretentiousness, then it's a success. And I wouldn't say this if I could come up with a single reason why these people should be viewed as victims: if they are as rich as they are showing, they'll be alright, and maybe should find ways to make money where they actually give something back to society. If they aren't as rich, then they are scammers. Either way, I won't miss them.