A transgender student has taken a Hong Kong school to court, alleging “discriminatory” policies requiring short hair in line with her sex assigned at birth. Lawyers for Oscar Fung King-ho on Thursday sought unspecified damages from the incorporated management committee of Lung Kong World Federation School Limited, Lau Wong Fat Secondary School in Tai Kok…
The number of secondary school students diagnosed with mental illness in Hong Kong has doubled over the past five academic years, with the increase potentially under-reported due to reluctance among some pupils and parents to disclose health information, education authorities have said. The data is in line with a trend recorded by the Health Bureau…
Eight-year-old Aidan was terrified at the prospect of having to undergo an operation at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital in Kowloon Bay in 2024. But his fears eased once he put on a virtual reality (VR) headset. Guided by a panda character, the VR programme gave him knowledge of what to expect. It allowed him…
For most of my career in developmental and educational psychology, I have been guided by a single question: what do children truly need to flourish in the world they are entering? I don’t mean the world their parents inherited or the one textbooks were designed for, but the one unfolding – volatile, technology-saturated and deeply…
Hong Kong’s new budget is positioned to foster high-quality, inclusive growth through innovation and finance. Ahead of projections, a surplus of HK$2.9 billion (US$370.8 million) is now expected, largely due to the stronger-than-expected stock market and tax receipts. Reflecting a sound fiscal approach and forward thinking, the 2026-27 budget will maintain an operating surplus and…
A project offering counselling to teenagers with depression and anxiety in Hong Kong will be expanded next year to reach more students, after about half of those it has helped showed no further signs of mental health problems, according to a local charity. Mind HK, the charity running the three-year initiative, also offers psychological support…
Northeastern University professor Raymond Booth first learned about propranolol, a drug developed to treat high blood pressure, in pharmacy school around 1978. In graduate school, he noticed classmates using the drug not for heart conditions but to manage situational anxiety, especially during exams. Curious, he asked a friend how she knew to take it. She…
Is the dating game is rigged against men? Here’s what new research reveals about what men should do for better matches on dating apps. getty Based on eharmony’s dating statistics, an estimated 80 million Americans are currently utilizing dating apps or websites — that’s roughly 30% of adults. Men are represented more than women, although…
About 20 per cent of Hong Kong secondary school students showed moderate to severe depression, anxiety and stress according to a survey, prompting experts to recommend training pupils in peer emotional support ahead of the new academic year. The Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service announced the findings of its study on Sunday, after interviewing over…
Do you have a meditation app on your smartphone, computer or wearable device? Well, you’re not alone. There are now thousands of meditation apps available worldwide, the top 10 of which have been collectively downloaded more than 300 million times. What’s more, early work on these digital meditation platforms shows that even relatively brief usage…