Beijing, Nov. 17 -- Rampant youth unemployment in China has left millions of young people struggling, staying at home, depending on delivery gigs, or increasingly engaging in the growing trend of "pretending to go to work."

According to a Radio Free Asia report, on the video-sharing platform Douyin, young people are developing routines where none exist, spending their days studying or job hunting in libraries and internet cafes. Some are even paying for "study rooms" to escape the house and bring structure to their daily lives, often while preparing for the highly competitive civil service exams, according to state media reports.

The situation has given rise to a hashtag on social media, #IPretendedToGoToWorkToday, with young people sha...