BEIJING - Chinese authorities Wednesday told news website Toutiao and live streaming website Kuaishou to remove obscene and violent content, and close the user accounts that uploaded such content.

Senior executives of the two websites were interviewed and asked to remedy the problems, said a press release from the State Administration of Radio and Television (SART).

The websites were found to be broadcasting video programs without proper licenses, according to the statement.

They were asked not to open new video upload accounts and thoroughly check the current ones. Accounts found to be providing illegal content should be banned from uploading videos or closed permanently.

Website managers and employees who allow illegal content to be broadcast will be held accountable, according to the SART.

No program should be broadcast without examination by the website operators. If the operators do not have enough personnel, the number of programs uploaded and broadcast should be reduced, the SART said.