LCQ3: Measures to prevent student suicides
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Question:
It has been reported that as revealed by the findings of a questionnaire survey released recently, among some 900 students from Primary Five to Secondary One surveyed, 30% and 40% of the primary and secondary school students respectively were assessed as having potential suicidal tendency. The academic who conducted the survey has pointed out that students facing changes such as moving on to secondary school and adaptation to new social circles are more susceptible to emotional distresses, and recommended that the parties concerned should raise students' sense of happiness and improve their ability to face adversities. On the other hand, it has been reported that an online game named "Blue Whale" originated from Russia has recently found its way into Hong Kong. That game, which promulgates ideas of suicide and self-mutilation, may poison the psychological health of young people in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it will follow up the findings and recommendations of the aforesaid survey and take measures to reduce the risks of students committing suicide; if so, of the details of the measures; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) whether it has gained an understanding about the number of local players of the aforesaid online game, and assessed the possible psychological impacts of that game on young people; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) whether it will step up efforts in educating young people to cherish their lives, so that they may be immune to the influence of ideas of suicide and self-mutilation disseminated through the internet; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government is very concerned about the developmental needs of young people and attaches great importance to cross-sector collaboration. The Education Bureau (EDB) and relevant bureaux/departments, including the Food and Health Bureau (FHB), the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB), the Hospital Authority (HA), the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and the Department of Health (DH) have been performing their respective duties in taking various measures to enhance the mental well-being of young people with a view to reducing the suicide risk. We aim at early identification and intervention and have been taking a multi-pronged approach in prevention of youth suicide through developing diversified programmes on mental health promotion with an objective of enhancing students' positive thinking and their competency in coping with adversities and environmental changes; as well as devising various measures to provide timely and appropriate support for students in need.
Regarding the questions raised by the Hon Wilson Or, I set out my reply as follows:
(1) and (3) Youth suicide is a complicated social problem with the interplay of multiple factors, including mental health issues, psychological concerns, interpersonal relationship, family and adjustment problems, as well as academic stress. The reasons behind each case are not the same. Many organisations in the community have studied the problem of youth suicide. We would consider and integrate these study results and suggestions to enhance the Government's ability to deal with this problem.
The following is a brief on measures taken by different bureaux/departments:
The DH promotes mental and psychosocial health to students, parents and teachers through education and publicity activities in different services. The HA provides appropriate specialist services for adolescents with suicidal risks. Patients with suicidal risks would be triaged into priority 1 (urgent) cases in general to ensure patients with urgent medical needs are given timely treatment.
Apart from subventing non-governmental organisations to offer stationing school social work service in each secondary school, the SWD has subvented the Suicide Crisis Intervention Centre (SCIC) of the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong to provide different dedicated services. In view of the popularity of internet service among young people, the SCIC has set up forum, email-boxes and chat-rooms to identify early and proactively reach out to internet users with suicidal ideation. The SWD also subvents the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups in setting up the "Hotline Service for Youth at Risk" which provides counselling and referral services to children and young people facing crisis through telephone contact.
The HAB currently provides recurrent subvention to 11 youth uniformed groups (with over 110 000 members in total) for providing various types of trainings and programmes to young people so as to enhance their perseverance, discipline, and physical and leadership skills, which will in turn strengthen their ability to face adversities. Meanwhile, the HAB and the Commission on Youth have launched the Funding Scheme on Life Education for Young People to subsidise non-governmental organisation to organise life education programmes for young people.
The EDB is mainly responsible for work within schools. Since 2001, cultivating students' positive values and attitudes has been one of the major objectives for the curriculum reform. The EDB facilitates the implementation of life education at schools. Moreover, the EDB has been planning and organising programmes and learning communities on life education for primary and secondary schools, with a view to helping schools in formulating their life education curriculum as needed and facilitating teachers' acquisition of teaching strategies and skills necessary for effective implementation of life education, which aims at helping students develop positive values and attitudes and enhance their resilience.
The EDB has been promoting a caring and harmonious school culture among schools, enhancing teacher-student relationship as well as peer relationship among students. We have actively organised diversified preventive guidance programmes for the healthy growth of students. Programmes including "Enhanced Smart Teen Project", "Understanding Adolescent Project" and "Pupil Ambassador Scheme on Positive Living" can help enhance primary and secondary students' self-confidence and resilience. Moreover, the EDB has started the "Pupil Ambassador Scheme on Positive Living" since the 2007/08 school year to help primary and secondary schools prepare their students for disseminating the message of love on one's life.
The EDB has been encouraging schools to adopt the 3-Tier Support Model to offer additional support to students according to their needs. School professionals, including school social workers, student guidance teachers, educational psychologists (EPs) will provide support services in their professions. Where necessary, the students identified will be referred to psychiatrists for diagnosis and medication. In addition, schools will arrange multi-disciplinary case conferences when necessary for psychiatrists, medical social workers, EPs and school personnel (including school social workers and guidance personnel) to jointly discuss appropriate support measures for the students.
In response to the spate of student suicides last year, the EDB, in collaboration with relevant bureaux and departments, has put forward various measures, which are directed at three levels, namely "Universal", "Selective" and "Indicated".
At the Universal level, the DH and the EDB jointly organised the Joyful@School Campaign with an aim of enhancing students' knowledge and understanding about mental health and their competency in coping with environmental changes. The Quality Education Fund will subsidise appropriate programmes, especially encouraging cross-sector collaboration with schools to conduct activities relating to the promotion of mental health, for example, bridging programmes for Secondary 1/Secondary 4 students, guidance or life skills lessons.
At the Selective level, the EDB published the "Resource Handbook for Schools" and a webpage on prevention of student suicides in order to support schools on identification, support and making referral of students with suicidal behaviours. Besides, the EDB will develop teaching resources jointly with the HA to be released in August to enhance schools' capacity to identify and support students with mental illness (including psychosis, depression and anxiety disorders). In addition, the EDB will conduct professional development programmes for teachers to help them detect early and support students with mental health needs including those with suicidal risks.
At the Indicated level, to facilitate early integration of students with mental illness into school upon their recovery, starting from the 2017/18 school year, the Learning Support Grant will cover students with mental illness so that schools will have additional resources to provide appropriate services, such as arrangement of counselling and emotional support for the students.
In addition, the FHB, in collaboration with the EDB, the HA and the SWD launched a two-year pilot scheme, the "Student Mental Health Support Scheme". Through multi-disciplinary platforms comprising teachers, EPs, school social workers and psychiatric nurses, communication and collaboration among professionals from medical, educational and social sectors would be strengthened to provide better support services for students with mental health needs at schools, with a view to facilitating their integration into school life.
(2) Regarding the questions raised by the Hon Or on the aforesaid online game, we do not have the figures and information of players. Nevertheless, most of the ordinances targeting crime prevention in the real world apply also in the cyber world. According to the laws of Hong Kong, a person who, through the internet, aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another, or an attempt by another to commit suicide, shall be guilty of an offence triable upon indictment under section 33B of the Offences against the Person Ordinance (Cap 212), and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for 14 years.
Apart from adhering to the use of Ordinance, promoting students' correct and positive values, as well as developing students' information literacy and enhancing their awareness in e-safety are the most effective measures to protect students, especially in response to the rapid development of information technology and incessant rolling out of online games. The framework "Information Literacy for Hong Kong Students" was updated in late 2016 which aimed at developing students' proper use of information technology. We also encourage parents and teachers to pay attention and provide appropriate guidance to prevent students who might not have sufficient maturity from being affected by temptations. Some games rendering incorrect and improper information, such as those related to violence, suicide and self-mutilation, may have a negative impact on the growth of young people.
To teach, guide and protect students against cyber problems, we have all along been encouraging schools to actively develop students' proper use of the internet. Every year, we provide workshops on cyber traps and related legal concerns for students to help them handle the problems of cyber bullying and cyber traps as well as to promote internet safety and awareness of bullying behaviour.
Thank you, President.
Ends/Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Issued at HKT 17:30
Issued at HKT 17:30
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