An application explicitly named "Are You Dead?" has captured the top position on China's paid Apple Store charts, a phenomenon the Financial Times attributes to anxieties regarding the nation's rapidly shifting demographics. The software – locally titled Sile Me – functions as a digital wellness check for individuals living independently. Users must "check in" by pressing a button; failure to do so for two consecutive days prompts the system to notify a nominated emergency contact.
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The Financial Times reported that "Are You Dead?" has gone viral as cohorts of young Chinese opt for solitary living rather than traditional marriage. Simultaneously, the elderly population faces increasing isolation in their homes without family support. Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, a social demography expert at the National University of Singapore, affirmed the necessity of such tools. "As fertility drops, life expectancy gets longer, marriages decline and divorce rates keep going up... all of these are creating the trend of one-person households," Yeung said. "The concern is real."
China marked its third consecutive year of population contraction in 2024, having ceded the title of the world's most populous nation to India in 2023, according to the Financial Times. The outlet noted a scarcity of young caregivers for the elderly, particularly in rural zones emptied by migration to cities. Meanwhile, youth are increasingly choosing singlehood or delaying family life. National Bureau of Statistics data cited by the Financial Times reveals single-person households jumped to 19.5% in 2024 from 7.8% two decades ago.
Co-creator Lyu told local media the app targets urban youth living alone, especially women near 25, the Financial Times reported. Lyu noted these individuals were prone to "experience a strong sense of loneliness due to the lack of people to communicate with... accompanied by... worries about unforeseen events occurring without anyone knowing". Biao Xiang of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology added that economic stagnation has shattered the success narratives Chinese youth were raised on.
Xiang told the Financial Times that using the app reflects a quiet pessimism, akin to cultural phenomena like tang ping (lying flat) and bailan (let it rot). "When they download this app, I would read that as a kind of collective installation art. Actually they are expressing a certain confusion and a certain anxiety," Xiang said. While commentators suggest the tool offers practical value for the elderly, the report noted potential usability barriers for rural seniors.
Yeung predicted that such apps – alongside appliance monitors that detect inactivity – will become vital as global populations age. "Living alone does not mean people need to be lonely but there is certainly that risk of becoming isolated from other parts of society. So there is a need to encourage people to connect and be socially engaged in a community," she told the Financial Times.
Despite praise for its utility, the app's name has sparked debate. Nationalist columnist Hu Xijin stated: "I suggest changing its name to 'Are You Alive?' as it would provide more psychological comfort for the elderly using it." The Financial Times concluded with Lyu's defense that the title was not "bad". "It serves as a reminder for us to cherish the present," Lyu added.
