Paul YipandJoyce Liu

Opinion | Remember Hong Kong youths’ mental health when making blueprint for their future

Hong Kong needs its young people to secure its future, and our new generations need not just job opportunities but more support and a sense of hope

The city’s first youth blueprint puts emphasis on creating opportunities, but neglecting young people’s mental health in the discussion will be costly

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Young people play table tennis on a busy street in Mong Kok on April 10. Hong Kong recently announced its first youth blueprint with a goal to “provide an enabling environment for young people to unleash their full potential”. Photo: Nora Tam

Paul YipandJoyce Liu

Published: 8:15am, 28 Dec 2022

Hong Kong recently announced its first youth blueprint. Commissioner for Youth Wallace Lau Ka-ki suggested the government would like to “provide an enabling environment for young people to unleash their full potential”. Hong Kong needs its young people to secure its future, and our new generations need more opportunities, more support and, more importantly, a real sense of hope for their future.

This generation is like no other. They are growing up in a fast-changing digital era, and Hong Kong is undergoing rapid changes itself. The problems they face can be complicated, leading to enormous stress, adjustment difficulties and threats to their mental health.

Mental health has become a major public health problem locally and globally. We see a substantial number young people seeking help from Open Up, the online emotional support platform for youth aged up to 35 funded by Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and run by five NGOs and our centre.

From January to November this year, there were more than 88,000 incoming cases. Around 5 per cent of these cases were of high suicidal risk or crisis cases, which means they might have suicidal ideation, attempts or even be in suicidal crisis when they reach Open Up.

This brings attention to the emotional needs of Hong Kong youth. About 45 per cent of users revealed they had never discussed their problem with others before they came to Open Up. Traditional youth social services have not managed to serve those who usually hide themselves in social media.

The Open Up platform allows us to look into the problems young people face nowadays. The most common issues presented this year include emotional problems, intimacy issues and family relationships, followed by pressure from school and work.