BEIJING - China's internet regulator has punished eight websites that intentionally publish and hype up erotic and vulgar information.

Six of the eight websites have channels that carry large amounts of vulgar videos and picture, including ifeng.com, sina.com, 17173.com, Ku6.com, pptv.com and qq.com, said a statement from the State Internet Information Office on Monday.

The channels have been shut down and people in charge of the websites have been punished.

The statement said websites iqiyi.com and sohu.com were also problematic without giving specific information.

Since the campaign to "purify the internet" was launched in 2014, the online environment has turned healthier, the statement said. However, some websites still promote vulgar content, which can be harmful and is the source of strong protests by parents.

The office urged full investigation into news and portal websites so as to further crack down on obscenity.