App allows young Chinese living alone to check in, offer proof they're not dead
AP News • • business
Key Points:
- A new Chinese app called “Are You Dead?” has become wildly popular among young people, allowing solo dwellers to send a one-button proof-of-life check-in to friends or family for 8 yuan (about $1.10).
- Developed by three young people in their 20s, the app has topped paid downloads in China and is gaining traction internationally, reflecting the growing number of young people living alone and facing loneliness in urban areas.
- The app resonates as both a practical safety tool and a darkly humorous social metaphor for the emotional needs of contemporary youth, who seek connection and reassurance amid fast-paced, isolated lifestyles.
- Despite the cultural taboo around death in China, the developers chose the provocative name to encourage reflection on life and mortality
