I think you missed the point of the article
Chinese students understand at both conscious and unconscious levels that joining together and expressing their societal frustrations in the form of outright political demonstrations will face the wrath of the CCP
China is a country where every social organization and activity is ultimately controlled and adjudicated by the CCP
So whether consciously or not, these kids mask their communal gatherings as a fun social trend with simple, apolitical purposes. This search for identity and agency occurs among all teens and young adults.
Indeed, probably most of them are not there for outright political reasons.
One wonders how different the Tiananmen Square Demonstrations would have turned out had there been social media back then.