HK Policy Address 2024: Gov’t to launch online emotional support platform for young people after spate of suicides
Hong Kong Free Press
The Hong Kong government has pledged to roll out a new online emotional support platform for young people after the city saw a record number of suspected student suicides last year.
The real-time platform, which is set to be introduced in the second quarter of next year, was among a series of mental health support measures announced by Chief Executive John Lee on Wednesday during the 2024 Policy Address.
Following widespread appeals, the Hong Kong leader vowed to extend and improve the Three‑Tier School‑based Emergency Mechanism, which was set up last December after the number of suspected student suicides rose to a 10-year high. The cross-departmental effort aims to help schools identify students at higher risk of suicide and provide early support.
Last week, an annual survey that interviewed about 3,500 students found that Hong Kong primary and secondary school students were happier than they were last year, but their sense of purpose in life fell to a seven-year low.
A survey conducted by the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong last month also found that almost half of secondary school students in Hong Kong have said they would not necessarily seek help when facing mental health issues.
Students who were less willing to ask for assistance showed significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, and had “notably poorer” resilience and health status, the survey found.
To improve students’ mental health literacy, Lee announced plans to launch resource packages for senior secondary and lower primary students. The government will also step up training for teachers to improve their capacity in early identification of, and support for, students with mental health needs, he said.
Waiting time concerns
The Hong Kong Student Alliance on Student Suicide on Wednesday welcomed the online support platform initiative and the extension of the three-tier system. It said digital mental health support services were more convenient and offered anonymity and less labelling, which would reduce the concerns of teenagers when they wanted to seek help.
But the alliance cited a previous questionnaire it conducted, which found that the waiting time for some existing online support platforms was long. Some platforms also failed to provide effective assistance.
These online platforms should refer cases to offline service providers to ensure teenagers could receive appropriate services, the alliance said.
Although the alliance welcomed the measures in the policy address for tackling mental health issues among primary and secondary school students, the city’s leader failed to cater to the needs of university students, the group said.
The address “overlooked the needs of tertiary students, and the alliance expresses regret regarding this,” its Chinese-language statement said.
The government should consider prompting tertiary institutions to collaborate with external counselling centres and provide funding for students to receive free counselling services, the alliance suggested.
A government fund should also be set up to allow young psychiatric patients to seek treatment from private doctors and counsellors while awaiting public psychiatric services.
| 💡If you are in need of support, please call: The Samaritans 2896 0000 (24-hour, multilingual), Suicide Prevention Centre 2382 0000 or the government mental health hotline on 18111. The Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology provides a WhatsApp hotline in English and Chinese: 6218 1084. See also: HKFP’s comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong. |
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.