China is facing a deepening mental health crisis among children and adolescents, with tens of millions suffering from psychological disorders, according to Courrier International. Recent studies have repeatedly sounded the alarm over worsening mental well-being among minors. In response, the Ministry of Education has urged schools to ease academic workloads, while soaring smartphone use among young people has become another major concern.
According to the Chinese science website Guoke, one in four Chinese teenagers engages in self-harm — a trend that has grown markedly in recent years. Teachers and parents are increasingly forced to confront non-suicidal self-injury among students. On October 24, the Ministry of Education announced ten nationwide measures to bolster mental-health support, including reducing academic pressure, strictly limiting homework loads, banning repetitive or punitive assignments, encouraging weekly homework-free days, and prohibiting the ranking of students by test scores.
A 2023 report from the China Youth Research Center estimated that 30 million children and adolescents under 17 suffer from emotional or behavioral disorders. The 2023 Mental Health Blue Book reported similar results, finding depression rates of 40 percent among high schoolers, 30 percent among middle schoolers, and 10 percent among elementary students. Contributing factors include family pressure, high academic expectations, and a lack of emotional support. Rural children are particularly vulnerable, with 30 percent experiencing depression — far higher than the national average of 14.8 percent.
Phone addiction has also become a critical driver. Chinese youth aged 12–18 spend an average of 4.2 hours per day on their phones, and more than 70 percent report severe anxiety without them. Excessive phone use is linked to emotional swings, attention problems, and chronic sleep deprivation. Over 60 percent of students sacrifice sleep for phones, gaming, or television — further compounding mental-health risks.
Source: Radio France International, November 6, 2025
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