Young Chinese embrace task of 're-raising' parents

In a reversal of traditional family roles, a growing number of young Chinese people are taking on the task of "re-raising" their parents — teaching them digital skills, purchasing their health supplements, planning holidays and even escorting them to concerts — all in a bid to help them navigate a fast-changing world.

The trend, which has gained traction on social media under the hashtag "I re-raised my parents after growing up", has drawn widespread attention for redefining filial piety from passive duty to active, creative care.

At the heart of the trend is a widening digital divide. While older generations grew up in a relatively stable world, their children came of age in an era of smartphones, livestreaming and algorithm-driven recommendations.

As a result, young people often have a clear advantage in accessing information and navigating online services — skills that many parents have yet to master.

For many, re-raising begins with small but meaningful acts.

Hang Yunjie, an 18-year-old freshman at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, discovered the gap when he decided to buy fish oil for his father and reading glasses for his mother.

His parents had long relied on television advertisements or pharmacy recommendations when purchasing health supplements. Hang instead consulted online review forums and comparison blogs before making his purchases.

"My father admitted that my choice was better than his usual brand, but he still expects me to handle everything next time," Hang said. "He doesn't want to learn how to find the information himself."

Helping parents adapt to the digital age means encouraging them to recognize that some of their knowledge and habits have become outdated, he said.

"I managed to convince him that his old brand was inferior, but I failed to spark his curiosity about the digital world."

For Xu Yu, a 31-year-old office worker in Beijing, the most meaningful change came after buying his parents new smartphones and teaching them how to use food delivery apps.

"They used to come home exhausted from work and still had to cook. Now they can order whatever they want," he said.

He patiently guided them through registration, logging in, setting delivery addresses, choosing payment methods and adding notes for special requests.

"When I was a child, they worried about my meals. Now I want to make their lives easier."

Some young people are also helping their parents enjoy experiences they might never have pursued on their own.

Zhang Anning, a 22-year-old postgraduate student in Beijing, began her re-raising journey after realizing that her parents would never take the initiative to travel.

Inspired by trips she had taken with friends, she started planning holidays for them, from renting a car in Guizhou province so her father could drive to see blooming azaleas to booking sea-view rooms in Hainan province.

"I want them to experience the joy of traveling, just as they made sure I enjoyed my childhood," she said.

Zhang also serves as the family's photographer, using film cameras to document their trips.

"When I was little, they recorded my growth. Now it's my turn to record their travels and preserve these treasured memories."

Yu Tianxin, a 19-year-old freshman at Beijing Foreign Studies University, took an even more hands-on role by accompanying her mother to three concerts by pop singer Zhang Jie, arranging everything from tickets to hotel reservations.

Her most memorable moment came when her mother went to the restroom without her phone, forgot their seat numbers and wandered around the arena calling out Yu's name.

After concert personnel directed her mother to the general floor area, Yu eventually spotted her and, as she put it, "reeled her back" to her seat.

"It was exhausting, but also deeply satisfying," Yu said. "My mother was overjoyed. She had always wanted to see Zhang Jie, and spending that time together brought us much closer."

Yu distinguishes her actions from the traditional understanding of filial piety.

"Conventional filial piety is about repaying a debt — they raised me, so I accompany them in old age," she said. "But going to concerts with my mother comes from genuine love because we have a close relationship."

She has also stepped in to protect her parents from online scams.

When her father was about to spend 30,000 yuan ($4,400) on a fake antique promoted during a livestream, Yu uninstalled the shopping app from his phone and linked the account to her own device, preventing him from logging back in.

"He scolded me for three days, but I still think it was worth it," she said. "Both my parents are trapped by outdated perceptions. Sometimes I have to pull them into the present."

Yao Huasong, a sociology professor at Guangzhou University, views the trend as a positive evolution in intergenerational relationships.

In an article published by China Youth Daily, Yao said the phenomenon rests on three conditions: young people's stronger digital and information literacy, their willingness to invest time and patience in communicating with their parents, and parents' growing readiness to set aside traditional authority and engage in more equal dialogue.

Generational differences are inevitable, he wrote, but what matters most is how both sides respond to them.

He cited practical examples such as making regular video calls, ordering groceries online, arranging health check-ups and taking occasional family trips as meaningful expressions of "home-making".

"This represents a new interpretation of the traditional idea of raising children for support in old age," Yao wrote. "It deserves recognition and encouragement."

Wang Nasi and Guo Yuhe contributed to this story.