China's Ministry of State Security has pointed out that "certain foreign organizations" are funding various media, think tanks, and internet influencers to produce a large number of "lying flat" videos, propagating negative notions such as the futility of effort, and systematically launching a "lying flat brainwashing" campaign, thereby undermining the foundations of societal values.
A report by the new media outlet "Zhengzhijian" of Beijing Youth Daily stated that an article from China's Ministry of State Security noted that in recent years, "anti-China hostile foreign forces" have exploited online platforms to deliberately amplify social anxieties, distort interpretations of development issues, and continue to propagate negative ideas such as "effort is useless" and "hard work is a loss." By manufacturing negative emotions, they attempt to elevate individual hardships into group confrontation, misleading and co-opting young people unconsciously, thereby eroding the commitment of Chinese youth to strive for success and even destabilizing the foundational values of society.
The article pointed out that many cases show that "anti-China hostile forces" wave the banner of "lying flat" to erode the ideology of young Chinese people. China's national security agencies have discovered that a certain foreign organization has funded various anti-China media and think tanks to fabricate narratives such as "striving equals being exploited" and "class solidification means effort is useless." Another foreign organization has strongly funded "lying flat influencers" to produce large quantities of short videos with slogans like "lying flat is justice" and "opposing involution equals opposing exploitation," thereby systematically carrying out "lying flat brainwashing."
The article noted that while inciting "lying flat," the countries involved have launched a series of economic bills, revitalization projects, and talent programs, and have even offered high salaries to poach global talent. "Clearly, they have never subscribed to 'lying flat' themselves—they only hope that our youth will lie flat, so that our development dividends, strategic opportunities, and national future are handed over to them."
The term "lying flat" began gaining popularity on China's internet around 2021. "Lying flat-ism" calls for "not buying houses, not buying cars, not getting married, not having children, not consuming," and "maintaining the minimum standard of living, refusing to become machines for others to profit from or slaves to be exploited." The Chinese authorities have taken multiple measures to crack down on related discourse.
Currently, the problem of involution in China is severe, and youth unemployment is surging. Even after the National Bureau of Statistics adjusted the calculation of age-grouped unemployment rates from December 2023, the latest data from March show that China's youth unemployment rate has reached 16.9%, a four-month high. The nationwide surveyed urban unemployment rate stands at 5.4%, the highest since March 2025, indicating the overall unemployment problem is gradually worsening.
The article pointed out that many cases show that "anti-China hostile forces" wave the banner of "lying flat" to erode the ideology of young Chinese people. China's national security agencies have discovered that a certain foreign organization has funded various anti-China media and think tanks to fabricate narratives such as "striving equals being exploited" and "class solidification means effort is useless." Another foreign organization has strongly funded "lying flat influencers" to produce large quantities of short videos with slogans like "lying flat is justice" and "opposing involution equals opposing exploitation," thereby systematically carrying out "lying flat brainwashing."
The article noted that while inciting "lying flat," the countries involved have launched a series of economic bills, revitalization projects, and talent programs, and have even offered high salaries to poach global talent. "Clearly, they have never subscribed to 'lying flat' themselves—they only hope that our youth will lie flat, so that our development dividends, strategic opportunities, and national future are handed over to them."
The term "lying flat" began gaining popularity on China's internet around 2021. "Lying flat-ism" calls for "not buying houses, not buying cars, not getting married, not having children, not consuming," and "maintaining the minimum standard of living, refusing to become machines for others to profit from or slaves to be exploited." The Chinese authorities have taken multiple measures to crack down on related discourse.
Currently, the problem of involution in China is severe, and youth unemployment is surging. Even after the National Bureau of Statistics adjusted the calculation of age-grouped unemployment rates from December 2023, the latest data from March show that China's youth unemployment rate has reached 16.9%, a four-month high. The nationwide surveyed urban unemployment rate stands at 5.4%, the highest since March 2025, indicating the overall unemployment problem is gradually worsening.