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How youth of Gen Z, hit by mental health issues, take charge and advocate for their peers
- The pandemic hit Generation Z hard – a quarter of Hong Kong’s youth had a mental health issue. Some are taking charge and creating solutions
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This is the first article in a six-part series on Gen Z and mental health, in which we look at some of the conditions they are experiencing, including anxiety, depression and eating disorders. We talk to Gen Zs who share their stories, and to experts for their advice on ways to recover and thrive.
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In the post-pandemic era, many people of every age have experienced a mental health challenge. But perhaps the group to be hit the hardest is Generation Z, also known as Gen Z or Zoomers, those born between 1997 and 2012 and currently aged about 12 to 27.
Hong Kong has about 830,000 Gen Zs, who make up about 11 per cent of the city’s population of 7.3 million. And many of them are hurting.
A 2023 study by Chinese University of Hong Kong found that nearly one in four Hong Kong children and adolescents had suffered from at least one mental disorder in the past year, and more than 8 per cent of secondary school students had thought about suicide.
Researchers also found that nearly half of parents were unwilling to seek professional help for children with mental illness. Some did not understand the severity of their children’s condition; others feared judgment from others. Some simply did not know where to get help.
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What’s more, the World Health Organization says suicide has become the fourth-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29. Hong Kong’s teenage suicide rate, 12.2 per 100,000 in 2022 for those aged 15 to 24, is among the highest in the developed world.
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