High suicide rate among 'spoiled and fragile' youth

Lin Kunhui, founder of the Life Education and Crisis Intervention Center, conducts interactive programs with students in Shanghai. Provided to China Daily

Yu Yan is rethinking her approach to raising her 4-year-old son after she was inspired by a lecture on family life.

"Parents always want to give their full love to children, but is it the best way for their growth?," she asks. "When children get angry what should you do? - in reality, we often ignore many important things.

"I found my son easily gets angry. Sometimes I have to jolly him along a bit. I also try to meet his every request. But this will make him go to the wrong way," she said.

"Today many children are vulnerable and cannot tolerate risk or setbacks, and some even easily withdraw from life," she said. "I hope my son will grow into a strong man both physically and psychologically."

What Yu learned is how to help children be happy, part of a lecture series co-organized by the Shanghai Pudong district government and the Life Education and Crisis Intervention Center, a nonprofit organization in the city.

Lectures are held every Saturday, and each time the room is crowded with parents and children.

"It's good to see more parents begin valuing life education," said Lin Kunhui, the organization's founder and secretary-general of the Taiwan Suicide Prevention and Cure Association.

"Now many young people in China commit suicide every year, which has a big effect on society and families.

"Their deaths might come many ways, but the root cause is that they fail to recognize the world and life itself," he said.

"Today, parents spoil their children, which makes them more fragile and unable to deal with difficulty," said Lin.

"Sometimes a small disappointment can make them take the road to ruin.

"It's time for education departments, family and society to rethink the issue."