Depression, anxiety rates triple in Gangnam children

The number of children under age nine diagnosed with depression and anxiety in Seoul's three affluent Gangnam districts (Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa) has more than tripled in the past four years. Experts attribute this sharp increase to excessive early academic training, such as the so-called “age-four exam,” which prepares toddlers for private English kindergartens.

Data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, submitted to lawmaker Jin Sun-mi of the National Assembly’s Education Committee, reveals that the number of health insurance claims for depression and anxiety diagnoses among children in these districts rose from 1,037 cases in 2020 to 3,309 cases in 2023, a 3.2-fold increase. The trend has continued to grow sharply each year, with 1,612 cases in 2021, 2,188 in 2022, and 2,797 in 2023.

Nationally, depression and anxiety diagnoses among children under nine increased from 15,407 cases in 2020 to 32,601 cases in 2024, nearly doubling. However, the rise in the Gangnam districts has been much steeper.

Experts suggest that this increase is closely linked to excessive early education. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 92 of the 268 English kindergartens in Seoul (34.3%) are located in these three districts. After graduating from these kindergartens, many children go on to prepare for the “age-seven exam” to enter prestigious English institutes. Additionally, “pre-med programs” aimed at elementary school students, where children study high school-level material, have become increasingly common.

Experts warn that excessive early education can be seen as a form of child abuse, causing lasting psychological trauma. Professor Cheon Geun-ah, a child psychiatrist at Severance Hospital and president of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, said, “Excessive early education during infancy is like trying to build a skyscraper during the brain's foundation-building phase. The stress children experience during this critical period negatively affects their learning abilities and emotional regulation, weakening their coping mechanisms and leading to depression and anxiety.”


Sung-Min Park min@donga.com