"Lying flat" is a very complex internet term, and any oversimplified summary of it in public discourse is not fair.

First of all, "lying flat" requires a high cost, and the vast majority of ordinary people cannot do it.
Living off parents, sitting and eating away resources all require a solid foundation, but it is not accessible to everyone.
For some young people, expressing "lying flat" is a helpless self-deprecating response to not being able to find good jobs or opportunities for advancement; it is essentially a cry of "I want to work hard, but there are no chances."
Indeed, who would truly choose to lie flat? If good opportunities really existed, those shouting "lying flat" would immediately stand up and run, fighting with all their might.
Additionally, nowadays, more than just young people say "lying flat."
Many people caught in meaningless internal competition within organizations also frequently use this term among friends.
At such times, it expresses "What I say doesn't count anyway, my suggestions aren't accepted, so whatever the boss says goes. I won't dwell on it or care too much."
This is a passive resistance to the work environment, and it's hard to say whether those doing so have a valid reason.
There are also many times when "lying flat" is used as a trendy, joking term.
The scenarios are especially complex, making it difficult to evaluate its value.
Overall, it cannot be said that the current young generation broadly has a collective "lying flat" attitude.
In fact, at any time, a considerable proportion of people struggle with job hunting and are dissatisfied with life; they have some negative emotions, which is completely understandable.
Even in the 1980s, which are now remembered as a beautiful time, there was a lot of complaints among intellectuals.
Because at that time, individual entrepreneurs were rising, but intellectuals had low incomes.
A well-known complaint then was "Those working on missiles are less well-off than those selling sweet potatoes."
However, in recent years, the rise of social media has given broader labels to current complaints, and "lying flat" has become one of the symbolic terms.
In fact, based on the proportion of young people feeling dissatisfied, there is no evidence to suggest that the current situation is actually worse than in the past.
In the 1980s and 1990s, China was too poor and backward, and Western perceptions of Chinese society were heavily biased.
Today’s Chinese society, especially among young people, has gained the confidence to view the West on equal footing; at least they no longer look up to them.
This has greatly changed the space for Chinese society to understand its own problems.
It’s true that there has always been real misfortune and confusion, and corresponding emotions.
The internet, especially social media, has provided those who were previously more easily ignored with unprecedented channels for expression.
As a result, it seems like negative emotions are especially abundant, but I believe this impression is at least partly an illusion.
This society should hold a firm belief: most of our members, especially the younger generation, will never collectively "lie flat."
Look at how many are striving for higher education, and how eager people are to participate in recruitment and registration.
The crowds can sometimes be quite overwhelming, and whenever a city hosts an attractive concert or competition, viewers flood in from all over the country—most of them are young people.
Does this look like a group that wants to "lie flat"?
This generation of young people will shoulder the mission of pushing the Chinese nation to the pinnacle of humanity.
They are destined to work harder, participate in larger and more profound struggles, and experience and navigate unprecedented changes in human history.
We older folks can’t help but worry about our children if they choose not to marry, have children, or stay at home without working outside.
But overall, we shouldn’t worry about the younger generation; they will generally do better and will never "lie flat."
Seeing reports that some bad actors abroad want to incite our young people to become disorganized, I believe such people definitely exist, but they will also surely fail.