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Social media are changing China's parent-child dynamics both online andoffline, enticing some children to resort to cloak-and-dagger measures toprotect their privacy. Xu Lin reports.
Lin Zhishan's greatest joy is browsing her son's micro blog - without his knowledge. Her24-year-old son, who's studying in Japan, has no inkling his mother monitors his onlinesocial networks. And Lin hopes to keep it that way. "He only tells me the good news andnever lets me know about anything negative," the 51-year-old mom from Liaoningprovince's capital Shenyang says.
"If he knew I secretly follow him online, he'd never post about the hardships of livingoverseas. I just want him to have an outlet to blow off steam."
Lin is one of a growing number of Chinese parents who interact with - or spy on - theirchildren's social networking sites, such as micro blogs and WeChat.
But many people don't want their parents to follow their every post.
Magazine editor Xu Xiaoying says her 16-year-old Yuan Jinshun blocked her from hismicro blog after a week - even though it was his suggestion she start an account.
"I learn about his interests through his micro blog," says the 42-year-old from Hunan'sprovincial capital Changsha.
"I followed his idols, such as Taiwan singer Rainie Yang, on Sina Weibo. I even took him toYang's concert."
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