Vietnam and Indonesia's Smartphone Culture Fuels Performance Anxiety and Youth Addiction

Smartphones have turned everyday life into a stage, with users constantly performing for livestream audiences. This shift blurs the line between genuine living and staged presentation, creating a pervasive "performance anxiety" that many describe as a new way of life. The phenomenon is illustrated by the spread of terms like “hào quang nhân vật chính” (main‑character energy) that capture how people feel compelled to appear as the protagonist of their daily stories.

In Vietnam, families are confronting a related crisis as cheap smartphones become gateways to highly addictive games and social‑media platforms. One mother recounted that her children spend “ba tiếng là ước tính thôi” (about three hours a day) on TikTok and games, leading her to restrict phone use and replace it with TV and outdoor activities. Similar stories from Ho Chi Minh City highlight how parental monitoring struggles and the constant lure of mobile entertainment are impacting children's wellbeing.