Dear Gonca and all
I want to share the loneliness issue of the Japanese CYPs.
26% of deaths among 10-14-year-old children in Japan and 50% of deaths
among 15-19-year-old CYP are suicides.
Saving lives at this age lies in
responding to suicide from a social paediatric perspective more than in the
development of cancer treatments or the prevention of infectious diseases.
In addition, according to national statistics, there are 870,000 young
carers in Japan, ranging from sixth graders to university students. Of
these, approximately 200,000 young carers, from sixth graders to
second-year high school students, are engaged in care for more than 21
hours a week, which is equivalent to child labour in ILO and UNICEF
statistics.
Regarding these issues, gaming addiction, which has become more apparent
since the COVID-19 pandemic, is a problem. It is more noticeable among
children from economically vulnerable families with fewer connections to
social resources. However, the paediatrician's association have launched
campaigns threatening that gaming addiction will shrink the brain, and
there is a lack of a perspective of viewing the problem from a social
paediatric perspective as a disease of loneliness.
Thank you for sharing this issue with CHIFA.
Kind regards,
Hajime
CHIFA profile: Hajime Takeuchi is a professor at the Bukkyo University in Japan. Professional interests: child health, child poverty, child wellbeing. takechanespid@gmail.com He is a CHIFA Country Representative for Japan and a member of the CHIFA Steering Group (child health and rights) http://www.hifa.org/support/members/hajime takechanespid AT gmail.com