1 . Should we accept a parent as a “friend” on Facebook? Lindsay Stewart, 15, completely understands why you’d refuse a parent’s friend request. Her parents have agreed on not becoming Facebook friends. Lindsay says, “It was a relief to hear that her mother wasn’t going to ask to be friends”.

Though there may be nothing embarrassing or secrets being discussed, it’s not a place she wants her mother to have access to. Lindsay explains, “My mum is my mum. We love each other, but we don’t have to be friends online.”

Lindsay’s mum, Sandy Stewart, is 50 years old, living in South London. She has strong opinions about what role a parent should play on the Internet—stay away from your children. “I wouldn’t dream of being friends.” Mrs. Stewart insists and suggests trying “friending” could seem like an invasion (侵犯) of privacy.

Yet Tim Harness, 54, and his daughter Josie, 18, are “friends” on Facebook and perfectly happy. Josie left home for university in Plymouth, and Mr. Harness can see her online. “I have a little look at her photos now and again,” he explains. “She seems to be having a good time.”

Josie has many family friends and what they see on her Facebook doesn’t concern her. “The worst dad might see is a photo of me a bit drunk, ” she says.“Is it an invasion of privacy? Not really. Everyone has Facebook these days. In my view, the only reason why you wouldn’t want them is if you’ve got something to hide.”

2 . Growing up as kids we are told to share our toys and not to be selfish. We also live in an age when discussing our feelings is encouraged. But when does it all become too much? With new trends growing all the time, such as dance challenges and wearing a carpet as a dress, the question is: when can sharing become oversharing on social media?

“Oversharing” has become associated with social media, but it isn’t exclusive to this platform. Imagine you head to a party and meet someone. Within five minutes they have revealed private details about their life. While some of us may try to escape these people, according to marriage advisor Carolyn Cole, this form of oversharing could come from a strong desire to connect with someone. But how does this translate to social media?

Dr. Christopher Hand, a lecturer in cyberpsychology (网络心理学), says the more details people uncover, the less sympathy we express when things go wrong. It seems that searching for sympathy by oversharing is generally considered as negative rather than the cry for help it could really be.

However, Dr. Hand’s research also seems to suggest that the more we post on a platform, the more socially attractive we become-only if the posts that we share are positive. Even back in 2015, Gwendolyn Seidman PhD said that we should avoid complaining and being negative online. We should also avoid showing off, especially about our love lives. It makes sense-if your date is going “that well”, would you really have time to share a photo with text?

So, how can you know if you are oversharing? Well, why not ask your friends in real life. They would probably be happy to tell you if your posts about your breakfast or your complaints about your lack of money really are too much.

4 . The idea of low material desire, low consumption and refusing to work, marry and have children, concluded as a “lying down” lifestyle, recently struck a chord with many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly-competitive society.

Many millennials (千禧一代) and generation Zs complained to the Global Times that burdens, including work stress, family disputes and financial strains, have pushed them “against the wall”. They said they hate the “involution(内卷),” joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get trapped in an endless competition against peers.

“Instead of always following the ‘virtues’ of struggle, endure and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as catharsis (宣泄) and adjustment,” said a scholar. “It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”

Interestingly, the majority of millennials and Gen Zs reached by the Global Times, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, acknowledged that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel guilty about their constant loss of morale (士气) far beyond their reach.

“Young people on campus have both aspirations and confusion about their future, but most of us have rejected setting ourselves up in chains to waste opportunities and challenges,” a postgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’ and face the reality sooner or later.”

In a recent survey, 19 percent of teenagers said that they    1    (post) a comment online that they later regretted. The problem is that once something is put on the Internet, it can be difficult to delete. Even if you’re able to do so, someone else    2    (probable) has already taken a picture of your post.    3     addition, the content    4     (remove) from a Webpage can often be recovered.    5    (post) negative comments or images online is certainly best avoided, but that’s not the only thing    6    you should consider when it comes to your online behavior. Experts say it’s also important for young people to earn     7    positive Internet reputation. You can do this by sharing positive content about the things you’re most interested in. This way, if someone runs a search on you, the results will show them the content you most want them to see. Managing an online reputation can be    8    (challenge). Remember that privacy (隐私) settings can be very helpful for this,    9    use them if they’re available. But most importantly, be careful about    10    you share — your future may depend on it.

6 . Are you a moviegoer? If, like me, you’re a fan of film, then there’s no better place to watch something than on the big screen at the cinema. You enter the dark theatre and take your seat, ready to be entertained. But while you are absorbed in some movie magic, many others are now getting their film fix at home.

Over the last few years, cinemas have seen a comeback. Customers have been attracted by comfortable seats, and lots of choice of things to watch. Multiplexes in particular can screen up to twenty films at the same time, suiting all different tastes. In addition, 3D and even 4D movies can give the audience an extra immersive experience. So, what’s not to like about a trip to the cinema?

One answer to that question is convenience. Rather than going out, it’s so much easier to stay in and watch movies on a TV screen via an online streaming service. There’s plenty of choice, and it’s relatively cheap as well. But, personally, I find there’re too many distractions, and watching at home is not such an event. I miss the cinema!

The coronavirus pandemic has put the future of cinemas under the spotlight. Some have had to close because of reduced ticket sales. In the UK, it’s brought about a surge in TV watching and online streaming. It’s reported that half of UK adults will keep and continue using their new streaming subscriptions.

This isn’t great news for cinemas. They rely on the release of a big blockbuster to bring the crowds back, but the launch of new films, such as James Bond: No Time To Die, are being delayed. Disney has released its $200m blockbuster, Mulan, online instead of in movie theatres. John Fithian, from the National Association of Theatre Owners, told Variety magazine: “This idea of waiting out the pandemic to make your movies more profitable doesn’t make sense to me. There won’t be as much of an industry left to play your movies in if you do that.”