2024 Survey on Children's Lives and Peer Play Conditions
With the 102nd Children's Day just two days away, 8 out of 10 children answered that they "cannot meet and play with friends in person after school due to academies, study materials, and online learning."
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) announced the results of the "2024 Survey on Children's Lives and Peer Play" on the 3rd, ahead of Children's Day on the 5th. The survey was conducted from the 23rd to the 30th of last month, targeting 2,450 elementary school students in grades 4 to 6 nationwide and 761 elementary school teachers.
When asked about the frequency of playing with peers after school, the most common response was "about 1-2 days a week" (32.1%). This was followed by "almost never" (27.9%), "3-4 days" (22.7%), "5-6 days" (9.6%), and "every day" (7.7%). Six out of ten children rarely played or only played 1-2 days a week.
"I can't play because of academies, study materials, and online learning"
The main reason for not having playtime after school was private education. When asked why they cannot meet and play with friends in person after school, the largest number of children (81.9%) answered "because of academies, study materials, and online learning." The response "because there are no friends to play with" accounted for 9.5%.
When asked how often they think they need to play with friends, the most common answer was "3-4 days" (40.4%). The second highest was "1-2 days" (32.2%). The response "every day" was only 12%, which is far from the common belief that "children want to play every day."
The KTU analyzed, "Children are forced to study and live like they are on a treadmill between school and academies. Children who experienced COVID-19 use mobile phones more than before, and as there are many things they can do without meeting friends in person, they grow up without knowing the joy of peer play."
"We want safe spaces and more break time"
In response to the question "What is needed to play safely and happily with friends (choose 2)," the highest percentage (44.7%) answered "creating safe spaces to play." The next was "lengthening break time at school" (32.5%). Other responses included "providing playtime during school hours" (24.7%), "reducing exams, homework, and study" (24.1%), and "reducing the number and hours of academies" (21.7%).
A representative from the KTU Gangwon Branch said, "In the OECD's 2021 survey on the 'Children's Happiness Index,' Korea ranked 22nd out of 22 countries, the lowest. Policies to secure peer playtime and spaces in children's lives must be established."
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