Surge in Cyber Counseling for Youth Amid COVID-19... 'Family Conflicts' Increase the Most

Consultations Increased by 31.6% Compared to Last Year

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korea Youth Counseling and Welfare Institute announced on the 17th that consultations at the Youth Cyber Counseling Center (hereinafter referred to as the Counseling Center), which helps youths in crisis with psychological or family relationship issues, increased by more than 30% this year.

The number of consultations at the Counseling Center from January to last month this year totaled 295,227 cases, a 31.6% increase compared to the same period last year (224,347 cases).

The area with the largest increase in consultations was family issues, with 43,185 cases recorded this year, up 75.8% from last year (24,559 cases). In particular, consultations regarding conflicts between parents and children reached 32,648 cases, a 70.0% increase compared to the same period last year. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family analyzed, "Due to the prolonged non-face-to-face daily life without external contact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, consultations related to family issues and mental health surged."

Following family consultations, mental health-related consultations were the next most frequent, with 86,699 cases this year, a 53.0% increase from last year (56,659 cases). Specifically, consultations in the areas of obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety (21,049 cases) increased by 86.4%, and consultations related to depression and withdrawal (43,545 cases) also rose by 59.3%.

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