随着数字时代的全面到来，依靠计算机绘图、人工智能等新技术和互联网思维构建的虚拟偶像井喷式涌现，正在重构青年一代的偶像崇拜。虚拟偶像这种通过数字技术打造、在虚拟或现实场景中从事偶像活动的虚拟形象，本质上是一种数字技术和粉丝参与式文化共同建构的消费符号。虚拟偶像的偶像属性和媒介功能，使其成为思想政治教育在数字时代富有时代感、针对性和吸引力的载体。为了更好服务于网络思想政治教育创新的理论与实践，本文运用理论与实证相结合的研究方法，对数字时代虚拟偶像的思想政治教育功能进行全面分析。 数字时代虚拟偶像的思想政治教育功能，主要是通过打造特定人物设定、发布文化艺术作品、在虚拟或现实空间开展偶像粉丝互动，以及粉丝参与偶像创作等方式发挥的。虚拟偶像能够通过开展思想政治教育，发挥思想保证功能，助力青年厚植家国情怀、坚定文化自信、振奋民族精神，增强青年对国家和民族的认同感；发挥价值导向功能，引导青年明辨是非，鼓励青年崇德向善，并激发青年对社会问题的关注和思考，把青年引导到符合社会主义核心价值观要求的正确方向上；发挥调节激励功能，缓解青年的情绪压力，培育青年的自我认同，并激发青年的进取精神，从而促进个人的成长进步和社会的和谐发展。 数字时代虚拟偶像能够对青年的思想和行为起到有效的引导作用，但目前仍存在一些因素制约其思想政治教育功能。在虚拟偶像特征方面，它受到资本操控、“中之人”素养制约，加之本身固有的虚拟性，会干扰思想政治教育的方向；在受众心理方面，青年亚文化圈层对主流文化的抵抗性、受众对虚拟偶像的盲目崇拜、受众“戏谑化”的解读方式，会制约思想政治教育的接受效果；在供给侧因素方面，迎合式的教育内容、碎片化的教育形式、虚拟化的教育环境，会降低思想政治教育的实效性。对于上述制约因素，可以从三个方面入手，一是完善虚拟偶像行业管理，健全行业法规、挖掘先进典型、以社会主义核心价值观引领算法运行；二是提升教育客体数字素养，增强青年应对虚拟偶像的主体性意识、信息辨别力和正能量作品创作能力；三是改善思想政治教育供给，设计更契合数字时代特征的教育内容，以大数据用户画像精准匹配教育资源，打造虚拟与现实同时在场的教育环境，多措并举优化虚拟偶像的思想政治教育功能。

With the arrival of the digital age, virtual idols based on new technologies such as computer graphics, artificial intelligence and Internet thinking have sprung up, and the idolatry of the young generation is being reconstructed. Virtual idols are virtual images created by digital technology and engaged in idol activities in virtual or real scenes. In essence, they are consumer symbols constructed by digital technology and fan participation culture. The idol attribute and media function of the virtual idol determine that it can be used as the carrier of ideological and political education with sense of the times, pertinence and attraction in the digital age. In order to better serve the theory and practice of online ideological and political education innovation, this paper comprehensively analyzes the ideological and political education function of virtual idols in the digital age by using a combination of theoretical and empirical research methods. The ideological and political education function of virtual idols in the digital age is mainly played by creating specific characters, publishing cultural and artistic works, conducting interaction between idols and fans in virtual or real space, and fans participating in idol creation. Through ideological and political education, virtual idols can play a role in ideological assurance, helping young people cultivate a strong sense of family and country, strengthen cultural self-confidence, inspire national spirit, thereby enhancing their sense of identity with the country and the nation. It can play a value oriented function, guide young people to distinguish right from wrong, encourage young people to advocate virtue and good, stimulate young people‘s attention and thinking about social issues, thereby guiding young people to the correct direction that meets the requirements of socialist core values. It can also play a regulatory and motivational role, alleviate the emotional pressure of young people, cultivate their self-identity, and stimulate their entrepreneurial spirit, thereby promoting personal growth and progress and harmonious social development. In the digital age, virtual idols can play an effective role in guiding the thoughts and behaviors of young people, but there are still some factors that restrict their ideological and political education function. In terms of the characteristics of virtual idols, they are controlled by capital, restricted by the quality of the role player, and they are inherently virtual, which will interfere with the direction of ideological and political education. In terms of the audience psychology, the resistance of the youth subcultural circle to the mainstream culture, the blind worship of the audience for the virtual idol, and the playful interpretation of the audience will restrict the acceptance effect of the ideological and political education. In terms of the supply-side factors, the effectiveness of ideological and political education will be reduced by catering educational content, fragmented educational form and virtual educational environment. As for the above constraints, we can start from these three aspects: First, improve the management of virtual idol industry, including improving industry regulations, mining advanced models, and leading the algorithm operation with socialist core values. Second, improve the digital literacy of educational objects, including enhancing the subjectivity consciousness of youth to deal with virtual idols, their information discrimination ability and positive energy work creation ability. Third, improve the supply of ideological and political education, including designing education content that is more suitable for the characteristics of the digital age, accurately matching education resources with big data user portraits, and creating an education environment where virtual and reality coexist. Comprehensive use of the above measures can optimize the ideological and political education function of virtual idols.