Online Survey for Nationwide 1st, 4th Grade Elementary, 1st Grade Middle, and 1st Grade High School Students
Customized Counseling and Treatment Support for At-Risk Groups of Overdependence
Youth Gambling Issues Also Diagnosed Starting This Year
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on the 28th that it will conduct the "2023 Youth Internet and Smartphone Usage Habit Diagnosis Survey" starting next month, targeting approximately 1.56 million youth nationwide who are transitioning through school age.
This survey has been conducted annually since 2009 by the Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and metropolitan and provincial offices of education, aiming to assess the internet and smartphone usage habits of youth.
Starting this year, to address youth cyber gambling issues, the survey will diagnose not only internet and smartphone overdependence but also "youth gambling problems" among first-year middle school and first-year high school students.
Additionally, in response to the lowering age of media usage, the survey for first-year elementary school students, included for the first time this year, will be conducted through guardian-observed diagnosis to help guide children’s media use.
The diagnosis survey will inform guardians in advance through elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide, and the youth self-diagnosis questionnaire will be conducted from the 3rd to the 21st of next month. However, for first-year elementary students, the survey is scheduled to be conducted in July after they have adapted to school life.
Smartphone Overdependence
The Ministry will provide tailored healing services to youth identified as at-risk for internet, smartphone, or youth gambling problems, with guardian consent.
Youth overdependent on internet and smartphones will receive individual and group counseling according to the level of crisis, and if psychological or emotional difficulties are identified through additional psychological testing, comprehensive psychological assessments and hospital treatment will be linked and supported.
According to the "Promise No. 1" announced on the 20th, youth can receive counseling for media overdependence and psychological and emotional support anytime through 240 youth counseling and welfare centers nationwide and 4,500 schools.
The Ministry plans to support residential healing camp programs at permanent healing institutions that provide professional counseling and alternative activities in environments with restricted media use for youth requiring intensive healing.
Youth with cyber gambling problems will first be provided with prevention and healing content such as card news and educational videos, and if intensive healing is needed, they will be guided and connected to professional counseling services and intensive recovery camps through the Korea Center on Gambling Problems Prevention and Healing.
Kim Kwon-young, Youth Policy Officer at the Ministry, stated, “As media use becomes a daily routine for youth, there is concern that overdependence issues may become serious. We hope participation in the diagnosis survey will serve as an opportunity to check media usage habits, and we ask for guardians’ interest and cooperation so that youth in need can receive early professional counseling and healing programs.”
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