With an increase of drug crimes among teens in the past decade, local medical experts have developed a training program that educates children on dangers of illegal drug use.
The program by researchers from SoonChunHyang University Bucheon Hospital targets elementary school students, in a two-track approach for younger and older classes. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which aims to curb the teenage drug crimes, which rose nearly 16-fold from 2011 to 2024.
A total of 649 minors were investigated for drug-related crimes in 2024, compared to just 41 in 2011, according to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. The figure has been rising consistently until 481 in 2022, skyrocketed to 1,477 in 2023, and dropped drastically last year, but still presents a substantial risk.
Data from the National Police Agency shows that 63 percent of all drug crimes in 2024 were committed by people under the age of 40, the first time ever that the figure surpassed the percent.
SoonChunHyang University team's program is based on the social and emotional learning process, a method that aims to train subjects into acquiring competencies to recognize and manage emotions, establish positive relationships and make responsible decisions.
The focal point of the program is to allow children to be able to fend off dangers of drug use, centering on responsible decision-making, stress management, and proper response to peer pressure.
The program for first, second and third graders is about how to act responsibly and to request for help in difficult situations, while the section for four through sixth graders deals with complex content such as resisting peer pressure and managing the stress.
According to the researchers, the program garnered a positive response in a trial run on students of Samjeong Elementary School in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Among students in younger classes, 81 percent supported the program, with 87 percent of those in older classes also doing so.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
