'Don't easily criticize' lying-flat youngsters

Eunice Lam

"Lying flat" should not be vilified, a nongovernmental organization says, following a survey that has found that more than three out of five secondary school students accept the term to describe their or their peers' situations.

Lying flat - tang ping in Putonghua - is a personal rejection of societal pressures to overwork and overachieve, which study host Young Men's Christian Association of Hong Kong said should not be criticized.

YMCA conducted a poll of 990 secondary one to six students between September and November last year.

Nearly 52.6 percent said they were neutral about lying flat, while 12.6 percent viewed it positively, and 34.8 percent perceived it negatively.

Notably, 48 percent expressed they would "support friends" if they wished to lie flat.

About 27 percent - 276 respondents - reported that they have experienced lying flat, with 41.2 percent of them having done so for at least a year.

Among them, 60 to 70 percent attributed their attitude to laziness and a desire for a relaxed lifestyle.

Additionally, 50 percent admitted to not submitting homework, underperforming academically and avoiding social interactions as part of this mindset.

Interestingly, 40 to 50 percent described the attitude as lacking special interests or goals, with a notable absence of imagination about their future lives.

More than half viewed lying flat as a personal freedom decision, indicating their desire to strike a balance between its pros and cons.

Kwok Yi-chung, YMCA's chief officer for youth and community service, suggested that students may choose to "lie flat" as a means of taking a temporary break or because they have yet to realize their life goals.

Instead of blaming these youngsters for their choices, Kwok urged for more understanding from parents and society at large. He underscored the importance of not denouncing the attitude and keeping an open mind on teenagers' career planning.

"We hope that the public will not blame our youngsters or 'demonize' them, as [lying flat] is only a [passing stage]," Kwok said.

"The survey only targets secondary students, and as they grow up, they may think differently after having different experiences."

Kwok recommended that parents and the community refrain from criticizing this attitude and maintain an open mind regarding teenagers' career plans rather than blaming them for their laid-back behavior.

YMCA suggested that lying flat is a mechanism for teenagers to handle their stress and frustration. It said a boy named Alex, who took the Diploma of Secondary Education exams last year and is now a social service foundation diploma student, is among youngsters lying flat.

Alex said he had been laid back since secondary three when face-to-face classes were suspended amid the pandemic.

He had decided to give up his studies after finding it difficult to catch up with online classes and feeling that his parents and teachers neglected his efforts and merely blamed his "addiction" to video games.

"There would be no difference [in marks] whether I revised or not, so I decided not to put so much pressure on myself ... They all thought I only played video games and never revised, so I thought I might as well just play video games," he said.

Asked about his future career path, Alex said that a stable job like a security guard would be a good fit so that he can continue a lying flat lifestyle while not becoming a burden to his family.

But he said when the right opportunities come he will "work hard again."

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com