A smartphone app, Are You Dead?, has surged in popularity across China, tapping into growing anxieties among young people living alone in rapidly urbanising cities.
The app, which requires users to check in regularly to confirm they are alive, has become the country’s most downloaded paid application in recent weeks, despite — or perhaps because of — its bleak premise.
As the BBC reports, the concept is deliberately simple. Users must press a large on-screen button every two days to confirm their wellbeing. If they fail to do so, the app alerts a designated emergency contact, warning that the user may be in danger. Launched quietly in May last year, the app gained little attention at first, but has recently gone viral on Chinese social media platforms.
Its popularity highlights a deeper demographic and social shift under way in China. According to research institutions cited by state media outlet Global Times, the number of one-person households could reach 200 million by 2030. Rising housing costs, delayed marriage, long working hours, and migration for employment have all contributed to a generation increasingly living alone, often far from family support networks.
Urban isolation
Are You Dead? describes itself as a “safety company companion… whether you’re a solo office worker, a student living away from home, or anyone choosing a solitary lifestyle”. The wording reflects an attempt to normalise solitary living while also acknowledging the risks that can come with it.
Chinese social media users have been candid about why the app resonates. “People who live alone at any stage of their life need something like this, as do introverts, those with depression, the unemployed and others in vulnerable situations,” wrote one user.
Another comment captured a more existential fear shared by many urban dwellers: “There is a fear that people living alone might die unnoticed, with no one to call for help. I sometimes wonder, if I died alone, who would collect my body?”
Such concerns are not unfounded. Chinese media has periodically reported cases of people living alone who died in their apartments and were only discovered weeks or even months later, reinforcing public anxiety around social isolation.
Safety, pressure, work culture
For some users, the app offers reassurance rather than fear. Wilson Hou, a 38-year-old professional working in Beijing, lives about 100 km from his family and is currently separated from them due to work commitments.
“I worry that if something happened to me, I could die alone in the place I rent and no-one would know,” he said. “That’s why I downloaded the app and I set my mum as my emergency contact.”
Hou returns home to his wife and child twice a week, but says he often sleeps at his work site while completing projects. His experience reflects the demanding work culture in China’s major cities, where long hours and physical separation from family are common.
He also said he rushed to download the app after its release, fearing it might be banned. In China, digital products perceived as promoting pessimism or social instability can face regulatory scrutiny.
Controversy and sensitivities
The app’s blunt name has sparked debate. Some critics argue that asking “Are You Dead?” invites bad luck or carries negative spiritual connotations. Others have suggested softer alternatives such as “Are you ok?” or “How are you?”.
The company behind the app, Moonscape Technologies, has acknowledged the criticism and said it is considering a name change. However, the provocative branding may have helped fuel its viral spread. In Chinese, the name “Si-le-ma” is a wordplay on the popular food delivery app “E-le-ma”, meaning “Are you hungry?”, giving it a darkly humorous twist.
International reach
Internationally, the app is listed under the name Demumu and has climbed app store rankings in the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and Spain, likely boosted by Chinese users living overseas. Originally launched as a free app, it now costs 8 yuan ($1.15; £0.85), a price low enough to encourage impulse downloads.
Little is publicly known about the founders. They describe themselves as three people born after 1995 who developed the app in Zhengzhou, Henan province, with a small team. One co-founder, known as Mr Guo, told Chinese media they planned to raise funds by selling 10% of the company for one million yuan — a sharp increase from the 1,000 yuan they say it cost to build the app.
Age of expansion
The company is also exploring expansion beyond young adults. China faces a rapidly ageing population, with more than one-fifth of its citizens now over 60. Officials estimate the country will soon have around 300 million pensioners, placing growing strain on families and social services.
In a recent post, the company signalled interest in products for elderly users, writing, “we would like to call on more people to pay attention to the elderly who are living at home, to give them more care and understanding. They have dreams, strive to live, and deserve to be seen, respected and protected.”
The company has not responded to questions from the BBC. Still, the success of Are You Dead? underscores how technology is increasingly stepping in to address gaps left by social change — and how deeply concerns about isolation, safety and care now run in modern Chinese society.
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