“Are You Dead?” Chinese App Challenges Loneliness and Saves Those Living Alone

A Chinese app with a shocking name, “Are You Dead?” (Si Le Me), has achieved widespread popularity among young people.

It topped the list of paid apps in China after sparking users’ curiosity with its unconventional idea aimed at checking on those who live alone.

The “Are You Dead?” App (Si Le Me)

The app operates on a simple mechanism; it asks the user to log in daily by pressing a green button with a cartoon ghost in the center.

If the user fails to log in for two consecutive days, the system automatically sends an email to an emergency contact specified in advance by the user, to check on them.

The app was initially launched for free, before quickly becoming a paid subscription app costing 8 Chinese yuan (about $1.15 USD).

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Top of the Paid Apps Chart

During the first week of January, the app topped the chart of paid apps on the Apple store in China and also entered the list of top paid apps in the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

According to its developers, it was specifically designed for people who live alone, especially young women in their mid-twenties, a demographic that reportedly suffers from a growing sense of loneliness, lack of social connection, and anxiety about experiencing an emergency without anyone noticing their absence.

The app’s spread coincides with the growing phenomenon of solo living in China, both among young people who are postponing marriage and starting families, and among the elderly.

Official data indicates that the proportion of single-person households rose to 19.5% in 2024, compared to 7.8% twenty years ago.

Expert Warnings

In this context, experts in demographics have warned of the repercussions of this phenomenon, amid declining marriage and fertility rates, a rising average age, and China’s population continuing to decrease for the third consecutive year.

Research forecasts also suggest that the number of single-person households could reach about 200 million by 2030, equivalent to more than 30% of the population.

Observers believe the success of the “Are You Dead?” app is not only due to its strange name but also because it reflects a new social reality and offers a simple technological solution to the growing fears of millions of people who live alone.