'4-year-old admissions tests' to blame? Depression, anxiety surge among young children in Seoul's Gangnam area
The illustration shows a child solving a test, created with ChatGPT.
The number of children aged 9 and under diagnosed with depression or anxiety in Seoul's Gangnam area has more than tripled over the past five years, recent data show. Experts attribute the surge to the mounting stress caused by early private education pressures, symbolized by so-called "4-year-old admissions tests" and "7-year-old admissions tests" — intense level tests for entry into prestigious English and math academies for young children.
According to data released on Friday by Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the National Assembly’s Education Committee, who obtained the figures from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of health insurance claims for depression and anxiety disorders among children aged nine and under living in Seoul’s Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa districts rose sharply from 1,037 cases in 2020 to 1,612 in 2021, 2,188 in 2022, 2,797 in 2023, and 3,309 in 2024. Over the five years, there were a total of 10,943 claims.
In 2024 alone, Songpa District recorded the highest number of cases with 1,442, followed by Gangnam District with 1,045 and Seocho District with 822. The average number of claims in the three districts last year stood at 1,103 — approximately 3.8 times higher than the average across Seoul’s 25 districts, which was 291.
Nationwide, the number of depression and anxiety-related insurance claims for children aged 9 and under doubled during the same period, increasing from 15,407 cases in 2020 to 32,601 cases in 2024.
Education experts say that the stress from academic testing and intensive lessons at an increasingly younger age is likely taking a toll on children's mental health. In fact, one in four English-language preschools in Seoul is located in the Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa districts, areas known for their concentration of private education institutions.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.