The influence of COVID19 for students
More and more students becoming Hikikomori
Long lasting COVID19 period causes attempt suicide for teenagers
[해외특파원 1기 / 이시현 기자] Due to COVID19, students are feeling more and more insecure as face-to-face classes are becoming limited. An increasing number of adolescents are becoming “hikikomori”, a reclusive loner, also referred to as ‘Corona Blue’. Simply put, they are immersed in the “digital world”, increasing the use of smartphones while physical activity has decreased. Adolescents who are growing up are sensitive even to small changes to emotion. However, the spread of friendship conflicts, bullying, and depression due to changes in student’s biorhythm is raising the rates of extreme choice because of the unpredictable situation. As a result, the suicide rate among teenagers worldwide during the COVID19 pandemic is rising dramatically.
In the United States, for example, according to the analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide attempts by teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17, especially girls, have increased rapidly during the pandemic. The rationale behind this is that sensitive teenagers often tend to commit suicide, nevertheless, their desires to decide on such impulsive choices have been rising due to the antisocial nearing and blockade. Regarding the survey, approximately25% of the respondents replied ‘yes’ when asked if they had considered suicide since due to Covid 19 after the pandemic had started.
Students in China also have been undergoing this exact problem. The Chinese government conducted a survey of 1,241 students between the ages of 9 and 15 when schools closed due to the pandemic. Consequently, 18.5% of students had already shown symptoms of depression and 32% of students responded that they harmed themselves. In addition, 22.5% of children responded that they had considered extreme options, and 32% of teenagers attempted to do wrong to themselves. Furthermore, the number of students who have planned detailly for extreme choices has nearly doubled compared to pre-COVID19, and many of them endeavored actual suicide attempts.
Korean teenagers could also not avoid this situation. Indeed, there was an incident in which a middle school student attempted to end his life. At the time, his parents were divorced and the online classes were being conducted as a consequence of COVID19. Therefore, he had stayed at home for a long time. At that time, the social and emotional relationships were severed, hence he was in danger of committing suicide.
On the basis of these examples, we should consider that this is not simply a matter of individuals but of society as a whole, therefore it is essential to check and manage student’s mental health at a national level. Experts suggest that the government should actively promote traditional mental health and social relations programs by discovering the needs of teenagers who are at high risk of suicide. Thus, through various big data analyses of teenagers’ daily lives and lifestyles, various contents should be prepared and provided to teenagers at risk of academic stress, loneliness, and poverty. In South Korea as an instance, the School Health Law, had been revised accordingly to the COVID19 pandemic. In detail, the Seoul education government announced that it will run a “consultation week” for students who feel depressed and anxious due to the prolonged situation. To solve this problem, every government should put an emphasis into improving students’ education environment and strengthen School Health Laws. These various national efforts will definitely help save the lives of many students.
