【Epoch Times, October 25, 2025】- The prevalence of mental disorders among Chinese students continues to rise, with reports of students in primary and secondary schools committing suicide by jumping off buildings becoming more frequent. Recently, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued a set of “Ten Measures” aimed at enhancing the mental health of primary and secondary school students. However, experts believe that these measures, forced out by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), are difficult to implement and unlikely to be effective, as the root cause of student mental health issues lies in the CCP system.
On October 23, the Chinese Ministry of Education released the “Ten Measures to Further Strengthen the Mental Health Work of Primary and Secondary Students.” These measures include reducing the frequency of daily tests, setting exam difficulty reasonably, not ranking students based on exam scores, implementing “2 hours of physical education every day,” ensuring students have sufficient sleep time, and strictly prohibiting the use of cell phones and other electronic devices in the classroom.
The issuance of the Ministry of Education’s “Ten Measures” has sparked heated discussions on Chinese social media. Many netizens criticized the measures under a People’s Net article, questioning the relevance of not ranking students to mental health and homework assignments. Some commented, “Does not ranking students have any relevance to mental health? Does it have anything to do with assigning or not assigning homework? Does it mean not ranking based on exam scores for college entrance exams?” Another said, “Every year, they talk about reducing the burden of homework for students, but they only lessen the workload, without changing the difficulty of exam questions, ultimately harming the children and causing anxiety among parents.”
The background for the introduction of the aforementioned “Ten Measures” by the authorities is that currently, Chinese primary and secondary school students commonly suffer from anxiety disorders and high rates of depression, resulting in a significant number of students experiencing school aversion, suicide, self-harm, and other phenomena. The “China Children and Adolescent Mental Disorders Survey Report” indicates that the total prevalence of mental disorders among school-aged students (aged 6-16) is 17.5%. This means that 1 out of every 6 children is grappling with psychological distress, with rates as high as 30% among left-behind children.
According to a report by CCTV on October 11, in recent years, during winter and summer vacation periods and the first month after school starts, almost all major hospitals have long waiting times for mental health appointments for adolescents.
Some hospitals have even established “School Refusal Clinics” within their mental health departments. During an interview with Epoch Times, a student mentioned that half of the students in their class suffer from school refusal syndrome, with several directly dropping out of school.
A teacher in Zhejiang province openly expressed on social media, “I feel like if students are not depressed, that would be strange. The subjects are all so difficult; they wake up early in the morning and sleep late at night, spending their waking hours on assignments and receiving scolding. During physical education class, they think about the endless assignments and classes. Parents and teachers all feel there is no time to spare.”
Regarding the authorities’ implementation of the “Ten Measures,” Beijing scholar Wang Hua analyzed for Epoch Times that the Ministry of Education of the CCP is now addressing this issue publicly, but only to solve surface-level problems.
The measures, such as not ranking students based on exam scores and ensuring adequate sleep time, appear to address the issue of high academic pressure on students. Wang Hua explained, “These students, on the surface, seem to face immense academic pressure because their future and their parents’ hopes are tied to their academic performance, leading to significant stress.”
He asserted that within the whole of society, whether it is parents or schools, they focus solely on academics, on grades, and students are unable to truly develop their own abilities, interests, and hobbies.
“In reality, pressure from the state, from an authoritarian party, is transmitted to parents and teachers, who then transfer this pressure unknowingly to the students. Under these circumstances, these students cannot grow up healthily,” he said.
He further stated that although the measures claim not to rank students, internal ranking still occurs. “Because this societal system dictates employment, and employment dictates exam systems and selection processes; they can only focus on grades as they do now, mechanically assigning scores, without encouraging critical thinking, independent thought, or individual perspectives.”
He believed that the “Ten Measures” are difficult to implement and unlikely to show effective results.
Dr. Huang Qianfeng, a psychologist from Taiwan, also told Epoch Times, “Education distorted into ranking and scores leads to the utilitarianization of educational goals, lacking humanistic care resulting in frequent occurrences of anxiety, depression, and suicide incidents. Schools often cover up issues during this time and prioritize ‘maintaining stability,’ leading to a vicious cycle.”
At the end of 2024, Epoch Times interviewed some students, parents, and teachers in Wuhan. A parent from Wuhan disclosed that statistics compiled within a parent group showed that from September to November 2024, 33 students jumped off buildings.
Frequent reports of student suicides from various regions circulate on Chinese social media. A video circulated online featured a doctoral supervisor named Chen revealing that within three months, 100 students in Shenzhen jumped off buildings. In Suzhou, three high school students held hands to jump off a building due to the heavy workload, while in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, five high school students collectively leaped off a building. In a high school in Shandong Province, four students jumped off a building in one month.
In the “China Children Suicide Report,” it states that China ranks first globally in child suicide rates, with around 100,000 young people dying by suicide annually, averaging about two deaths every minute, along with eight suicide attempts.
Dr. Huang Qianfeng believes that this issue stems from the overall societal environment, as the problems exhibited by children often reflect issues within family structures, and the pressure within families reflects societal conditions.
Wang Hua stated, “Ultimately, the underlying root cause lies in the CCP’s authoritarian rule, which has closed off every individual’s path in society. The mental health issues faced by students are interlinked with the students’ parents.”
A lawyer named Chen Feng (pseudonym) in China, who has two children, also told Epoch Times that the fundamental issue with mental health among Chinese youths lies in the brainwashing education imposed by the CCP. “Because it extinguishes human nature. Children and teenagers, by nature, are lively and curious, but the atheism and brainwashing education of the CCP erase human nature, guiding individuals to develop within a mold, ultimately achieving ideological uniformity.”
He emphasized that not only youths but also many adults have developed abnormal thoughts, showing unhealthy behavior due to the Marxist ideological education, which is the root of the problem. Superficial adjustments cannot solve the issue.
Chen Feng believed that unless the CCP is overthrown, any form of education reform will still be a form of brainwashing education, a form of ideological unity, an atheist education system that erases human nature.
Dr. Huang Qianfeng indicated, “Under the CCP regime, through the culture of party struggle, traditional cultural values of kindness and moral qualities have been destroyed, instilling a sense of vigilance among individuals. A cultural awakening is required, and a return to the traditional culture that respects heaven and maintains virtue is the solution.”