Excessive private education at early age hinders children's cognitive, social development: experts

An entrance to a private education institution offering English-speaking programs for young children is seen in Seoul's Gangnam District, March 13. Yonhap

Korea’s enthusiasm for early education may come at a significant cost to children as experts warn that excessive private tutoring and mounting academic pressures are taking a toll on their well-being and hindering their healthy cognitive and social development.

“Excessive academic focus during early childhood can hinder the development of creativity, play skills and social abilities — all of which are critical areas for healthy growth,” said Eom So-yong., a professor at Yonsei University’s College of Medicine, during a forum on reducing private education for children held Wednesday by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Council.

“Persistent stress at this age can negatively affect brain development. Excessive secretion of stress hormones can harm cognitive function and emotional stability," the professor explained. "It can later decrease interest in learning during the school years, lower motivation and lead to poor academic performance, reduced self-esteem and emotional problems as well."

The remarks come amid Korea’s relentless pursuit of academic excellence and widespread competition, which has led to significant private education spreading even for preschoolers.

According to the Ministry of Education, 47.6 percent of children aged 6 or under in Korea receive private education. The figure was 24.6 percent for children aged 2 or under, 50.3 percent for children aged 3 and 81.2 percent for children aged 5 or over.

The data shows that participation in private education increases with age. On average, parents spent more than 300,000 won ($217) per child per month on private education, with an average weekly participation time of 5.6 hours.

Last year's total private education expenses amounted to 29.2 trillion won, which is a 7.7 percent increase over the previous year, despite the decreasing number of students.

Data also indicates that early private education programs affect children's mental health, often ranking students from a young age in the race for elite university admission, including programs like “English kindergartens,” and “pre-med courses for elementary school students.”

According to data analyzed by Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a total of 270,625 patients under 18 visited clinics for mental health-related conditions such as depression from January to November last year. This figure was more than double the 133,235 recorded in 2020.

The sharpest increase was seen among children aged 7 to 12, with cases more than doubling from 50,260 in 2020 to 106,324 last year. The number of cases among children under the age of 6 increased by 50 percent, and the number of cases among those aged 13 to 18 nearly doubled. The most common diagnoses were depression, hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorder.

The increase in childhood mental health disorders was particularly striking in areas with a high concentration of private early childhood education businesses, such as the Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa districts of Seoul.

The number of insurance claims relating to depression and anxiety disorders among children under the age of 9 in the three districts far exceeded Seoul’s average of 291 cases. There were 1,442 cases in Songpa, 1,045 in Gangnam and 822 in Seocho.

Policy experts are cautioning that improving the quality of public education alone will not be enough to curb the boom in private education. They argue that bold reforms are needed, including stricter limits on early academic testing and greater investment in play-based, age-appropriate learning.

“As long as parents believe that studying more outside of school leads to better outcomes, the cycle will continue,” said Lee Deok-nan, head of the Education and Culture Team at the National Assembly Research Service. “What’s needed is a societal shift — one that values balanced development and well-being over relentless competition.”

According to a survey by the Korea Educational Developmental Institute, parents cited “psychological anxiety because others are doing it” and “to get ahead of others” as the top reasons for enrolling their children in private education, with 21.8 percent and 18.4 percent selecting these options, respectively.