Liu Bangyan

FutureFront Interdisciplinary Research Institute

Renaissance 2024, 3(02); https://doi.org/10.70548/ra142140
Submission received: 5 August 2024 / Revised: 27 August 2024 / Accepted: 11 November 2024 / Published:20 November 2024

Abstract: This paper conducts research on the relationship between Two-dimensional culture and contemporary middle school students. Firstly, it analyzes the pressures that middle school students face in multiple aspects such as academics, interpersonal relationships, and self-awareness, as well as their impacts on physical and mental health, and then elaborates on the connotations and characteristics of Two-dimensional culture. Next, it explores the mechanism by which Two-dimensional culture becomes a stress-relieving way for middle school students, including immersive experiences alleviating real-world pressures, emotional resonance and catharsis reducing psychological burdens, and stimulating a positive mentality and psychological resilience. Subsequently, it expounds on its positive impacts from the aspects of mental health and learning and growth. Meanwhile, it points out potential problems like excessive addiction to Two-dimensional culture and the influence of bad content, and puts forward corresponding coping strategies. Finally, it reaches the conclusion that Two-dimensional culture plays an important role in relieving the pressure of middle school students and facilitating their healthy growth. Although there are potential problems, reasonable guidance can make it play a positive role.

Keywords: Secondary element, Middle school students, Pressure

1.Research Background and Significance

Contemporary middle school students are faced with heavy pressures in multiple aspects such as academics, interpersonal relationships, and self-awareness. These pressures pose certain challenges to their physical and mental health as well as their normal growth. As an emerging cultural form that is deeply loved by middle school students, has the Two-dimensional culture become an effective way to relieve stress? It is of great significance to conduct in-depth research on this topic. If the Two-dimensional culture can indeed help middle school students reasonably release stress, it will play a positive role in regulating students’ emotions and promoting their mental health, helping middle school students face the challenges in their growth with a more positive attitude and achieve healthy and all-round growth and development. Therefore, it is quite necessary to conduct research on this issue.

2. Analysis of the Sources and Impacts of Pressure on Contemporary Middle School Students

2.1 Academic Pressure

In the middle school stage, examinations are the “main theme” of students’ learning lives. Weekly exams and monthly exams are frequent, and the senior high school entrance examination and the college entrance examination are even more crucial. In order to achieve good grades, students have been in a race against time for a long time, keeping their nerves on edge.

The number of subjects in the middle school curriculum has increased, the depth and breadth of knowledge have expanded, and the difficulty has risen, making students prone to anxiety.

Students spend a long time doing their homework. It’s difficult for their bodies to relax and recover, and negative emotions accumulate, which affects their physical and mental health.

2.2 Pressure from Interpersonal Relationships

In reality, some parents have high expectations and regard academic achievements as everything. They overly interfere in their children’s lives, restricting their entertainment and social activities, which makes the children feel repressed and intensifies parent-child conflicts, adding to the burdens of middle school students.

At school, teachers’ teaching styles and evaluation methods have an impact on middle school students. Due to the factor of the enrollment rate, some teachers are rather strict and often pay attention to students with good grades or those who are active, which easily leads to students with average grades or introverted students being “left out”. As a result, they become self-abased and timid and dare not communicate with teachers.

Middle school students also experience psychological pressure when getting along with their peers. Competition exists everywhere. Situations such as social frictions and emotional fluctuations during adolescence easily make them fall into self-doubt and be troubled by negative emotions, which affects their physical and mental health and normal social interactions.

2.3 Pressure from Self-awareness

Some middle school students are influenced by perfectionism and have high requirements for themselves. When the reality fails to meet their expectations and they don’t reach the standards they set, they will fall into self-doubt and self-blame, which increases their psychological burden. Long-term anxiety and nervousness will affect their study, life as well as physical and mental health.

Adolescence is a special stage for middle school students to explore self-identity. In terms of appearance perception, influenced by physical development and aesthetic concepts, some students feel that they are not outstanding because of acne or body shapes that don’t conform to the popular aesthetics. They are afraid of being laughed at, so they become self-abased and avoid social interactions. In terms of abilities, they are eager to prove themselves but often feel inferior to others. These pressures make them wander in the exploration of their self-worth and identity, and their hearts are often shrouded in anxiety, which affects their self-confidence and normal communication.

2.4 The Impact of Pressure on the Physical and Mental Health of Middle School Students

Under long-term pressure, middle school students are subject to numerous adverse effects on their psychology. Negative emotions are prone to arise. For example, depression leads to low mood and loss of interest; anxiety makes people feel restless inside; and irritability causes them to lose their temper easily and have difficulty concentrating, which affects interpersonal relationships. These negative emotions also dampen the enthusiasm and self-confidence for learning. The passion for knowledge is reduced, and they become resistant to learning. Students will question their abilities and deny themselves, and dare not take on new challenges. This is not conducive to the development of mental health and is likely to aggravate psychological problems and hinder the formation of a positive and healthy personality.

Excessive pressure also endangers the physical health of middle school students. Sleep disorders are common, resulting in poor mental state, lack of concentration and low learning efficiency the next day, thus forming a vicious cycle. Due to the impact of pressure on the digestive system, long-term insufficient nutrition makes the body weak. In addition, pressure reduces the body’s resistance, making it easy to fall ill and slow to recover. In severe cases, it can trigger complex diseases, threatening health and affecting the rhythm of growth, study and life.

3.The Connotation and Characteristics of Two-dimensional culture

3.1 The Connotation and Components of Two-dimensional culture

The Two-dimensional culture initially originated from Japan and now has a wide range of influence across the globe. It mainly refers to the virtual world constructed and presented based on two-dimensional planes and its related cultural contents, corresponding to the “three-dimensional world” of the real world. It bears the rich imagination, emotions, and values of creators and audiences. Through various artistic forms, it creates a fantasy space that transcends reality for people, enabling them to obtain unique experiences, emotional sustenance, and aesthetic enjoyment from it. It is especially popular among the adolescent group.

It mainly consists of the following aspects: (1) Animation and comics. This is a highly representative component of the Two-dimensional culture, covering numerous animated and comic works with diverse styles. (2) Games. Video games are rich in types, including various gameplay such as role-playing, adventure, and strategy. (3) Light novels. With a writing style that is easy and pleasant to read, their contents mostly involve themes like fantasy, science fiction, campus, and romance. They are often adapted into other Two-dimensional forms such as animations and comics for further dissemination. (4) Peripheral products. They are the physical extensions of the Two-dimensional culture in the real world, including dolls, figures, postcards, badges of animated characters, as well as stationery, clothing and other kinds of items printed with Two-dimensional elements. Peripheral products can help fans visualize their love for the Two-dimensional culture and further enhance their emotional experience and cultural identity.

These components are intertwined and develop in coordination with each other, jointly constructing a rich and colorful Two-dimensional cultural world.

3.2 Characteristics of Two-dimensional culture

The fantasy settings in the Two-dimensional world attract middle school students, fulfilling their pursuit of novel and exciting things and stimulating their creativity and imagination. For example, the magic of Hogwarts in “Harry Potter”, the adventures in another world in “RE: Zero Starting Life in Another World”, and Luffy’s superpowers in “One Piece”.

Two-dimensional works have created a vast number of characters with different personalities and images. There are introverted characters like Nezuko in “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”, extroverted characters like Luffy in “One Piece”, and characters like the members of the Survey Corps in “Attack on Titan” who demonstrate the values of pursuing justice and freedom.

The content of Two-dimensional culture is rich and can meet the different needs of middle school students. There are light-hearted and funny ones like “Crayon Shin-chan”, as well as excellent works that explore life philosophy and convey positive energy like “Fullmetal Alchemist”.

4. The Mechanism of Two-dimensional culture Becoming a Stress-relieving Way for Contemporary Middle School Students

4.1 Immersive Experience Alleviating Real-world Pressure

In the busy and stressful life of middle school students, Two-dimensional works are like miraculous utopias, opening up spaces where their spirits can be relaxed and liberated.

When turning on the anime “One Piece”, the energetic and passionate opening theme can instantly ignite their passion and quickly draw them into that magnificent world of pirates. As the plot unfolds, the viewers follow Luffy and his group of partners with diverse personalities but shared aspirations, boarding mysterious islands together, exploring unknown treasures, and solving ancient mysteries. The partners cooperate with each other and trust one another. Even when trapped in desperate situations, they never give up. Their appearance of going all out to protect their companions and defend their dreams deeply grips the viewers’ hearts.

For middle school students who participate in the game “Genshin Impact”, they control the characters carefully selected by themselves and embark on an adventure across the continent. During this process, the players are completely immersed in the game world. Their minds are focused on how to explore more unknown areas, how to complete those challenging tasks, and how to improve the strength of the characters. At this time, those headache-inducing academic problems in real life, such as the difficult questions on math test papers, the texts that can’t be memorized, the words that can’t be remembered, and the little troubles in getting along with friends, are all thrown to the back of their minds. In their minds, there are only the images of Luffy and his group bravely moving forward on the sea, chasing freedom and dreams. They seem to be the protagonists of this other world, shouldering the mission of saving the world and solving mysteries. Thus, they are spiritually liberated from the real-world pressure, obtaining a rare moment of relaxation and finding a free world of their own.

Although this kind of immersive experience is somewhat similar to a psychological “escape mechanism”, within a reasonable range, it can help middle school students adjust their mentality, briefly detach themselves from the tense and high-pressure real state, and restore their psychological energy.

4.2 Emotional Resonance and Catharsis to Alleviate Psychological Burdens

During the growth stage of middle school students, they often experience various situations, and the emotions brought about by these experiences sometimes are difficult to find a proper outlet in real life. However, the characters in Two-dimensional works often have experiences and emotions that middle school students can empathize with.

4.2.1 Achieving Emotional Catharsis through Resonance

(1) Growth confusion when encountering setbacks. In many Two-dimensional works, the indomitable spirit shown by characters when facing setbacks can often deeply touch the hearts of middle school students. Take Naruto in “Naruto” as an example. Since his parents died when he was young and the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed within his body, he suffered from the cold stares and rejection of the villagers from childhood. However, relying on his inherent stubbornness and his persistent dedication to his dream of becoming Hokage, Naruto constantly challenged himself and trained hard. Eventually, he won the recognition and respect of others step by step.

From Naruto, middle school students can easily find the reflection of their own hard work and have a strong sense of resonance. This resonance provides an outlet for the negative emotions such as anxiety and depression accumulated in the hearts of middle school students due to learning setbacks. It seems that their perseverance is also recognized, thus enabling them to gain the strength to move forward and achieving emotional catharsis.

（2）Lonely perseverance in the pursuit of dreams. Looking at Hikaru Shindo in “Hikaru no Go”, he was an ordinary teenager who was ignorant of and had no interest in the game of Go at first. But then he was drawn into the world of Go and embarked on the path of growing into a professional Go player, encountering numerous difficulties along the way. However, under the influence of Fujiwara no Sai, Hikaru Shindo did not shrink back because of these setbacks. Instead, he constantly delved into Go techniques, practiced repeatedly, and accumulated experience through one game after another, gradually growing into a capable Go player on his own.

This is quite similar to the experiences of middle school students when they develop hobbies or participate in subject competitions. When seeing Hikaru Shindo’s perseverance in the face of setbacks in the field of Go, they can empathize with him. Then they can release the emotions such as loss and self-doubt caused by setbacks in the development of interests and academic competitions through resonance with the character, and obtain psychological comfort.

4.2.2 Releasing Negative Emotions through the Fates of Characters

Two-dimensional works often have exciting and conflict-ridden plots, enabling middle school students to release their inner negative emotions along with the rhythm of the plots.

In “Attack on Titan”, the soldiers of the Survey Corps, with the noble ideal of regaining freedom for mankind, bravely rushed out of the city walls time and time again to fight against the giants. However, due to the self-interests of the noble class and other forces, many brave soldiers sacrificed their lives. In real life, middle school students may also encounter some situations that make them angry, such as the existence of bullying on campus or finding unfair under-the-table operations in activities like the selection of outstanding students in the class. They substitute these angry emotions in life into their feelings about the plots of the works. As the plots develop, it seems that they are also fighting against those injustices and evils themselves, and the angry emotions in their hearts are released along with the emotional rhythm of the works, thus achieving a psychological balance.

“Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” tells a story about friendship and regret. As the characters in the work gradually change from the initial pain and avoidance to later acceptance and letting go, middle school students seem to have also experienced an emotional healing journey along with the characters. The negative emotions such as sadness and grievance deep in their hearts are slowly released along the emotional vein of the work, making their moods gradually become relaxed and obtaining psychological relief and balance.

All in all, with its rich and diverse character creations and fascinating plot developments, Two-dimensional works provide a special emotional space for middle school students, allowing them to find resonance and release the repressed negative emotions in their hearts, which plays a positive and non-negligible role in their mental health.

4.3 Stimulating a Positive Mentality and Psychological Resilience

Two-dimensional works often create a wide variety of characters with distinct personalities and strong appeal. Through the experiences and choices of these characters, positive values such as bravery, friendship, perseverance, and justice are vividly demonstrated. These values have a profound and positive impact on the mentality of middle school students in a subtle way.

（2）Bravery. In “One Piece”, Luffy embarks on the Grand Line in search of the “ONE PIECE”. Facing numerous dangers and powerful enemies, he shouts out, “I’m the man who’s going to be the Pirate King”, fully demonstrating his fearless courage. For middle school students, the value of bravery in this work has a subtle influence on them. When facing real-world pressures, they can muster up the courage to try instead of running away, and gradually cultivate a positive mentality of challenging and breaking through themselves, regarding pressure as an opportunity for growth.

（3）Friendship. In “Naruto”, Naruto has a deep friendship with his partners. After Sasuke left Konoha Village, when Naruto went after him, facing many difficulties and the threat of the Akatsuki organization, his partners always fought side by side with him, trusting and supporting each other to deal with the crises. As middle school students’ interpersonal interactions gradually become richer, they may encounter situations such as conflicts, unpleasantness, or loneliness with friends. By seeing the pure and deep friendship in the work, they can realize the importance of support and trust among friends.

（4）Perseverance. In “Slam Dunk”, Mitsui Hisashi was once a basketball star. After getting injured, he was influenced by bad elements and wasted two years of his basketball career. However, due to his love for basketball, he overcame obstacles with perseverance and became an important three-point shooter for Shohoku High School. Mitsui Hisashi’s story is like a mirror, allowing middle school students to see the power of perseverance. The positive values in his story can inspire middle school students to persevere in their efforts when facing pressure, believe that perseverance can lead to breakthroughs and growth, and develop a positive attitude of not giving up easily.

（5）Dreams. In “The Prince of Tennis”, Echizen Ryoma returns to Japan from the United States and joins the tennis team of Seigaku High School to pursue his dream of becoming a professional tennis player. Although he encounters many tough opponents, he perseveres until he finally realizes his dream. He has a clear and firm goal and goes all out for it. This reminds middle school students to determine their goals as early as possible, such as career directions and academic achievements. Only with goals can they have the focus and motivation to work hard, giving direction to their actions and avoiding acting blindly.

（6）Justice. In “Detective Conan”, Shinichi Kudo (Conan) witnesses illegal transactions by the Black Organization and is shrunk. However, he doesn’t run away. With his reasoning ability, he pursues the organization in the identity of Conan. He has repeatedly ignored his own safety to investigate the truth and help the police catch criminals, safeguarding fairness and justice. This can make middle school students understand the importance of justice and encourage them to bravely stop “small evils” such as classmates’ bullying and cheating in exams. Guided by the value of justice to safeguard fairness and justice, they will have behavioral guidance and spiritual support when facing such real-world pressures, making their mentality more firm and positive.

All in all, the positive values and the growth stories of characters conveyed by Two-dimensional works are like bright lights illuminating the spiritual world of middle school students, providing them with spiritual nourishment and helping them face real-world pressures and challenges with a better mentality and a positive attitude.

5. The Positive Impact of Two-dimensional culture on Middle School Students

5.1 In Terms of Mental Health

5.1.1 Emotion Regulation and Stability

Against the backdrop of today’s middle school students facing increasingly heavy academic burdens and complex interpersonal interactions and numerous other pressures, Two-dimensional culture is gradually becoming one of the effective ways for them to relieve stress and regulate emotions, and it plays a positive role in helping them maintain a good emotional state.

To verify this phenomenon more objectively, our psychology team selected a total of 1,500 middle school students from 5 middle schools in different regions as samples and conducted a six-month follow-up survey. According to the frequency of students’ usual exposure to Two-dimensional culture, the samples were divided into three groups:

High-frequency group: A total of 500 students who were exposed to secondary element-related content (including watching animations, reading comics, playing Two-dimensional games, etc.) for more than 5 hours per week.

Medium-frequency group: A total of 500 students who were exposed to secondary element-related content for 2 – 5 hours per week.

Low-frequency group: A total of 500 students who were exposed to secondary element-related content for less than 2 hours per week.

During these six months, the research team recorded the emotional responses of the three groups of students when facing stressful events (such as failing exams, having conflicts with classmates, being criticized by teachers, etc.) in their daily study and life, as well as the frequency of negative emotions such as anxiety and depression through regular questionnaires, one-on-one interviews with students, and collecting feedback from head teachers.

The survey results showed that when facing stressful events:

High-frequency group: Approximately 75% of the students indicated that they could adjust their emotions within 1 – 2 days and return to normal study and life; in terms of the frequency of negative emotions, the average number of days with negative emotions such as anxiety and depression per month was about 3 – 4 days.

Medium-frequency group: About 60% of the students could recover their emotions within 1 – 2 days, and the average number of days with negative emotions per month was around 5 – 6 days.

Low-frequency group: Only about 40% of the students could adjust their emotions within 1 – 2 days, and the average number of days with negative emotions per month reached 7 – 8 days.

From the perspective of overall self-evaluation of emotional stability, more than 70% of the students in the high-frequency group believed that they had relatively stable emotions during these six months and could better cope with various pressures; in the medium-frequency group, this proportion was about 50%; while in the low-frequency group, only about 30% of the students felt that their emotions were relatively stable.

These data clearly indicate that middle school students who are frequently exposed to Two-dimensional culture (the high-frequency group) indeed show better performance in emotion management. They can respond to stressful events more quickly and effectively, significantly reducing the frequency of negative emotions and thus maintaining a relatively stable and positive emotional state.

5.1.2 Strengthening Self-identity and Self-confidence

By finding characters that resonate with themselves, experiencing emotional resonance, and absorbing the excellent qualities and values of the characters in Two-dimensional culture, middle school students have strengthened their self-identity in multiple aspects and thus enhanced their self-confidence.

They no longer overly focus on their so-called “shortcomings” or differences from others. Instead, they understand that everyone has their own uniqueness, just like the characters with distinct features in the Two-dimensional world, each having their own shining points and growth trajectories. Whether it’s their personality traits, past experiences, or the current ability levels that have not yet reached the ideal state, they are all just parts of their growth process and all contain the potential that can be transformed into positive forces.

For example, a middle school student who used to feel inferior because of being overweight saw that Kagura in “Gintama”, despite having a big appetite and a plump figure, still played an important role in the Yorozuya team by relying on her abilities and optimistic personality and lived a carefree and confident life. After that, he began to change his view on his own body shape. He no longer regarded it as a reason for inferiority but accepted his body image. Meanwhile, he also believed that he could, like Kagura, demonstrate unique value in other aspects and participate in various activities and interact with others in a confident manner.

In conclusion, Two-dimensional culture provides middle school students with a unique emotional and cognitive space, allowing them to find characters and values that fit themselves in it. Thus, it can have a positive impact on aspects such as self-identity, self-confidence enhancement, and self-acceptance, helping them grow and develop in a healthier and more positive way and meet various challenges in life with greater confidence.

5.2 In Terms of Learning and Growth

5.2.1 Stimulating Learning Interest and Creativity

In the current era characterized by diverse information and booming culture, Two-dimensional culture, with its unique charm, has set off a craze among middle school students and demonstrated a powerful influence. It can skillfully and effectively stimulate middle school students’ learning interest and creativity, injecting distinctive vitality into their growth and learning.

The stimulation of Two-dimensional culture on middle school students’ learning interest is manifested in multiple disciplinary fields.

Firstly, in terms of language learning, Two-dimensional culture has played an unexpected facilitating role. The learning of Japanese is a particularly typical example. Two-dimensional culture is like a magical key that opens the door for middle school students to take the initiative to learn Japanese. Nowadays, Japanese animations, games, light novels and other Two-dimensional works are widely popular among middle school students. They have firmly grasped the students’ attention with their unique charm and then stimulated their strong interest. And this interest has been transformed into a powerful internal driving force, enabling students to show extraordinary enthusiasm when learning Japanese.

Secondly, Two-dimensional culture guides middle school students to explore historical and cultural knowledge. Many Two-dimensional works incorporate historical elements or cultural backgrounds, arousing the curiosity of middle school students. For example, the “Fate” series of animations reincorporates historical figures such as King Arthur and Alexander the Great into the story of the Holy Grail War after reshaping them. When middle school students see them appear in new images with magical abilities, their curiosity is ignited, and they will take the initiative to look up information and conduct in-depth exploration into various aspects of King Arthur’s knowledge in British history as well as Alexander the Great’s conquests, reigns and other related contents.

In addition, Two-dimensional culture can also stimulate middle school students’ attention to scientific knowledge. Some Two-dimensional works involve elements of science fiction and fantasy. Although many of the settings seem to be full of unrestrained fantasy colors, they actually contain numerous scientific principles and technical assumptions, which will undoubtedly arouse middle school students’ interest in in-depth exploration of scientific knowledge.

In the fantasy world of games, “The Legend of Zelda” is like a treasure full of surprises and mysteries, attracting numerous students to immerse themselves in it. And the rich physical elements it contains, such as optics, mechanics, and electricity, are everywhere. This inadvertently ignites their passion for the subject of physics. It skillfully integrates physical knowledge into the interesting game experience, allowing students to fall in love with the subject of physics unconsciously while enjoying the fun brought by Two-dimensional games and embark on a journey of seeking knowledge to actively explore the mysteries of physics.

Meanwhile, Two-dimensional culture provides middle school students with abundant creative materials and inspiration sources, motivating them to create derivative contents such as doujinshi comics and fan fictions, expanding their thinking and enhancing their innovation abilities. In interdisciplinary practices like cosplay production, they can exercise comprehensive skills and further stimulate their creativity.

5.2.2 Improving Social Skills and Interpersonal Relationships

Two-dimensional culture encompasses a wide variety of contents such as animations, comics, games, and light novels that are deeply loved by middle school students. The common love for these Two-dimensional works often serves as a powerful bond for establishing connections and starting communications among people. This kind of communication based on shared interests eliminates the barriers between strangers, enabling everyone to easily and naturally make new friends and expand their social circles, thus enhancing their ability to take the initiative in social interactions.

There are diverse forms of Two-dimensional cultural activities, such as anime exhibitions, doujinshi exhibitions, and offline secondary element-themed gatherings. In these activities, participants need to follow certain social etiquettes and rules, which helps them cultivate good social habits and improve their social skills.

Meanwhile, Two-dimensional culture itself is highly inclusive. It accepts all kinds of character settings, story styles, and different aesthetic concepts. Fans in this cultural atmosphere will gradually develop an inclusive attitude towards others. It enables people to get along better with those who have different personalities and preferences, reducing interpersonal conflicts and creating a harmonious and friendly social atmosphere, thereby improving the quality of interpersonal relationships.

In conclusion, through providing common interest topics, promoting cooperative interactions, expanding social spaces, and cultivating social etiquettes and inclusive attitudes, Two-dimensional culture has created favorable conditions for middle school students and even a vast number of Two-dimensional fans to improve their social skills and interpersonal relationships. It allows them to continuously grow in rich and colorful social activities and harvest sincere friendships and good interpersonal communication experiences.

6. Potential Problems and Coping Strategies

6.1 The Problem of Excessive Addiction

(1) Impact on Physical and Mental Health

Long-term addiction to secondary element-related content, such as spending a long time sitting in front of the computer watching animations, constantly bowing one’s head to read comics on mobile phones, or being immersed in Two-dimensional games for extended periods, will lead to a lack of physical exercise. This can easily trigger a series of health problems. For example, the risk of developing eye diseases will increase significantly, and poor posture may also occur.

Excessive immersion in the virtual world constructed by Two-dimensional culture tends to blur the boundaries between the real world and the virtual world, resulting in an escape mentality towards real life. When some adolescents encounter problems like learning pressure or setbacks in interpersonal communication, they choose to hide in the Two-dimensional world. Over time, they may become more withdrawn and reluctant to communicate with people in the real world. They may even develop emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety, which will affect normal psychological development and mental health.

（2）Delay in Academic Studies

For the student group, excessive addiction to Two-dimensional culture will seriously distract learning efforts. The time that should have been used for learning new knowledge, completing homework, and reviewing lessons is largely spent on watching animations, participating in Two-dimensional discussions, or playing related games. As a result, academic performance gradually declines, affecting the normal progress of studies and causing the loss of precious opportunities to acquire knowledge and improve oneself.

（3）Degradation of Social Skills

People who are overly addicted to Two-dimensional culture usually invest a large amount of time and energy in the virtual Two-dimensional world, ignoring interpersonal communication in real life. They prefer to “interact” with the characters in the Two-dimensional world and immerse themselves in the social situations they fantasize about. As time passes, when facing others in real life, their social skills will gradually degrade, making it difficult to establish and maintain good interpersonal relationships, which is extremely detrimental to personal social development.

6.2 The Problem of the Influence of Unhealthy Content

The content of Two-dimensional culture is a mixture of good and bad. Although many positive values are conveyed in it, there are also some negative elements. People who are overly addicted to it may lack the ability to distinguish and are easily influenced by bad values. For example, some Two-dimensional works overly promote violence, bloodiness, pornography, or extreme individualism. Long-term exposure to such unhealthy content may make viewers subconsciously think that these behaviors are normal or “cool”, which will then affect their judgment standards of right and wrong, good and evil, distort their own values, and lead to inappropriate behaviors in real life, bringing negative effects on personal moral cultivation and the harmonious development of society.

6.3 Coping Strategies

(1) Strengthening Self-awareness and Self-discipline

Cultivating time management awareness: For those addicted to Two-dimensional culture, they first need to recognize that their behaviors have had a negative impact on their lives and then learn to arrange their time reasonably. They can make a detailed schedule that clearly divides the time for learning, rest, exercise, and moderate exposure to Two-dimensional culture.

Setting goals and reward mechanisms: Set some short-term and long-term goals for yourself. When you achieve these goals, you can use purchasing favorite Two-dimensional peripherals or participating in an anime exhibition as rewards to motivate yourself to maintain self-discipline and balance the relationship between Two-dimensional culture and real life.

（2）Active Guidance from Parents and Teachers

Attention and communication: Parents and teachers should closely monitor the situation of adolescents’ exposure to Two-dimensional culture. Once signs of excessive addiction are found, they should communicate with them in a timely manner, point out the harms brought by excessive addiction, and guide them to correctly view Two-dimensional culture.

Cultivating diverse hobbies: Encourage adolescents to develop diverse hobbies other than Two-dimensional culture. For example, guide them to participate in sports or learn art skills such as music, painting, and calligraphy to enrich their spiritual world, make their lives more colorful, and reduce their excessive dependence on Two-dimensional culture.

（3）Purifying the Two-dimensional Cultural Environment

Strengthening content review: Relevant departments should increase the review intensity of Two-dimensional culture dissemination platforms and works, strictly control the quality of animations, comics, and games, filter out works containing harmful elements such as bad values, violence, and pornography, and make the Two-dimensional cultural market healthier and purer, reducing the content that may have a negative impact on the audience from the source.

Recommending high-quality works: Parents, teachers, and cultural communicators can take the initiative to recommend some Two-dimensional works with positive energy and educational significance to adolescents, guide them to contact these high-quality works, and help them absorb beneficial nutrition from Two-dimensional culture to form correct values and good aesthetic tastes.

（4）Conducting Psychological Counseling and Intervention

At the school level: Schools can be equipped with professional psychological counselors, regularly carry out mental health education courses and lectures, popularize mental health knowledge among students, let them understand the psychological hazards that may be brought by excessive addiction to Two-dimensional culture and how to maintain a healthy mental state.

At the social level: Social psychological counseling institutions can also set up special counseling projects for the phenomenon of excessive addiction to Two-dimensional culture, providing professional counseling services for adolescents in need and their parents.

In conclusion, Two-dimensional culture itself has its unique charm and value, but excessive addiction will bring many harms. Through the joint efforts of multiple parties and the adoption of the above effective coping strategies, people can correctly treat Two-dimensional culture, enabling it to play a positive role in enriching life and cultivating sentiment, while avoiding its negative impact on personal growth and life.

7. Conclusion

In summary, Two-dimensional culture has played an important role in relieving the pressure of contemporary middle school students. Through its unique mechanism of action, it has brought positive impacts on the physical and mental health, growth, and development of middle school students in multiple dimensions such as emotion regulation, self-identity, learning, and social interaction. Although there are potential problems, as long as multiple parties make joint efforts to guide middle school students to contact Two-dimensional culture correctly and moderately, its advantages in relieving pressure can be fully utilized, making it a beneficial cultural form that helps middle school students grow up healthily. It not only provides a new way for middle school students to cope with pressure but also enriches their spiritual world to a certain extent and has a positive significance that cannot be ignored for their all-round development.

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