[The Editors' Verdict]Three Out of Ten Youths Isolated or Withdrawn Amid Obsession with Private Education

12% of youth are socially isolated, and 16% are withdrawn. These are shocking figures.

According to the recent “Survey on Socially Isolated and Withdrawn Youth (ages 9?24)” released by the Korea Youth Policy Institute, about 30% of the 19,160 youth respondents nationwide identified themselves as socially isolated or withdrawn youth. Socially isolated youth refer to those whose social activities have significantly decreased and who lack a support network to seek help, while withdrawn youth are those who confine themselves to a limited living space with almost no outings. This means that 3 out of 10 youths around us are either living completely disconnected from society or are in the process of doing so.

Although this survey did not cover all youth, it holds symbolic significance as the first nationwide survey to grasp the reality of socially isolated and withdrawn youth (ages 9?24). It starkly revealed that while 3 out of 10 youths are classified as socially isolated or withdrawn, society has failed to properly acknowledge them. Without proper data, the severity of the situation was not recognized, resulting in multiple missed opportunities to help these youths.

In 2023, Statistics Korea estimated the rate of socially isolated youth at about 5% in a social survey. That survey estimated that among approximately 2.7 million youths aged 13?18 (excluding elementary school students), about 140,000 were socially isolated. The current nationwide survey, which expanded the age range, found that 30% of respondents are socially isolated or withdrawn, suggesting that the number of such youth around us could be much higher than the government’s estimates.

The life satisfaction score of socially isolated and withdrawn youth is 4.76 out of 10, significantly lower than the 7.35 score of youth who are not isolated or withdrawn. Being in such a state increases the risk of choosing to give up on life. In fact, two out of three youths who identified themselves as socially isolated or withdrawn reported having thought about wanting to die. Since the understanding of socially isolated and withdrawn youth is still in its infancy, there is a lack of dedicated agencies, sufficient personnel, and resources to manage them intensively. A year ago, our newspaper’s “Youth Isolation 24 Hours” investigative series exposed the chaotic response system with no control tower and 213 local government ordinances, and the media has actively joined calls for solutions, but government action remains slow.

The fault also lies heavily with adults who pushed children into private education competition early rather than teaching them how to live together. As the economy developed, competition among individuals intensified, influencing how children are educated. Terms like “4-year-old exam” and “7-year-old exam” emerged, referring to children taking difficult advanced-level tests to enter academies with good entrance exam results even before starting elementary school. Nowadays, parents emphasize winning in competition over learning how to coexist. Youths accustomed to a lifestyle that values how others perceive them and are unfamiliar with giving or receiving help struggle to endure support when they become socially isolated or withdrawn.

The seriousness of this survey must be recognized. Establishing measures to restore youths’ psychological and social relationships early and support healthy growth is a matter of saving the future. The establishment of a dedicated agency to respond to social isolation among youth cannot be delayed.