Mainland youngsters reflect on ‘paid’ time spent caring for and keeping company with their parents, say it is not a panacea for tough job market
3-MIN READ3-MINFran Luin BeijingPublished: 6:00pm, 8 May 2026Three years after some Chinese youngsters chose to become “full-time children”, some said it was not a cure-all for their plight in China’s tense job market.
The title “full-time children” went viral in 2023 in China, when some young people became a “full-time employee” of their parents.
They received monthly salaries from their parents, ranging from 1,000 yuan (US$150) to over 5,000 yuan, depending on their parents’ pensions.
In exchange, they kept their parents’ company and helped them manage difficult tasks such as operating mobile apps.
Some likened full-time children to “NEETs”, which means “Not in Education, Employment or Training”.
