Abstract: Stilbene-type fluorescent whitening agents are widely used in papermaking, textiles, cosmetics and detergents due to their advantages of high fluorescence efficiency and stability. In recent years, domestic and foreign reports on the contamination and testing methods of fluorescent whitening agents have gradually increased, causing great concern in the society. The current research on the mechanism of photodegradation of stilbene-type fluorescent whitening agents and the methods using photodegradation to solve the pollution were summarized. The pretreatment techniques such as accelerated solvent extraction, gel chromatography, solid phase extraction and QuEChERS were briefly summarized, and the current standard detection methods of fluorescent whitening agents in China were summarized. The application of detection technologies such as ultraviolet spectrometry, fluorescence spectrometry, liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and portable detection in the stilbene-type fluorescent whitening agents was emphatically reviewed. The application of stilbene-type fluorescent whitening agents in forensic science was prospected, and some suggestions were put forward to control its pollution, which provided some ideas for the establishment of practical and feasible laws and regulations on stilbene-type fluorescent whitening agents in China (122 ref. cited).