More than 38 percent said their ideal job would be working as a professional gamer, 27 percent said they wanted to work as a social media writer and 20 percent hoped to present a show on a live streaming platform, according to the 2017 Blue Book of China's Society, released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Wednesday.

A generational divide is apparent in the findings, however, with about 76 percent of young people saying they could envisage a career in such roles, while only 18 percent of parents agreed.

?Social media has also increased the frequency with which Chinese parents can contact their children, according to the report.

More than 31 percent of parents surveyed said they were able to contact their children much more frequently since they began using social media.