THE BIG DEAL ISN’T THE APP, BUT THAT IT WENT VIRAL: Are You Dead?: The viral Chinese app for young people living alone.

A new bleak-sounding app has taken China by storm.

Named Are You Dead? the concept is simple. You need to check in with it every two days – clicking a large button – to confirm that you are alive. If not, it will get in touch with your appointed emergency contact and inform them that you may be in trouble.

It was launched in May last year to not much fanfare but attention around it has exploded in recent weeks with many young people, who live alone in Chinese cities, downloading it in droves.

This has propelled it to become the most downloaded paid app in the country.

According to research institutions, there may be up to 200 million one-person households in China by 2030, Chinese state media outlet Global Times reports.

Sad.