Young people shun sharing feelings, fears with family or friends, turn to virtual spaces, which experts warn could erode real human contact
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenZoey ZhangPublished: 9:01am, 12 Mar 2026At first glance, it is just a photograph of an empty room. But on mainland social media, it has become something else entirely: a virtual confessional.
Beneath such posts, users anonymously unburden themselves to strangers, sharing the guilt, anxiety and struggles they cannot voice to family or friends.
Traditionally, the confessional in Christianity is a space where believers admit their sins to a priest and seek absolution.
Such so-called cyber confession rooms have recently surged in popularity, drawing more than 50 million views across mainland social platforms.
The trend appears to date back to 2021, when an American influencer known as Niki began dressing as a nun during live-streams, inviting users to confess and then asking the audience to decide whether they belonged in heaven or hell.
Her trademark baffled expression was quickly turned into a meme and widely circulated on the Chinese internet.
