An 11-year-old boy in Changsha, China, required medical attention after doing homework and studying for 14 hours straight under the supervision of his parents.
China’s obsession with curricular excellence is no secret, but in some extreme cases, it can literally put kids’ lives in danger. Case in point, an 11-year-old boy was recently hospitalized after doing homework from 8 am to 10 pm without any rest. By 11 pm, the boy became agitated and developed rapid breathing, dizziness, headaches, and numbness in his limbs. His parents, who had been supervising him all day at the family home in Changsha, panicked and took him to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with respiratory problems due to hyperventilation.
Photo: Annie Spratt
The incident occurred at the end of last month, and the boy, identified only as Liangliang, was fitted by doctors with a breathing mask and instructed to regulate his breathing. The respiratory condition that the boy experienced was reportedly caused by breathing too fast and too deeply, which was due to the emotional stress he suffered from being pressured by his parents to do homework continuously for 14 hours.
Symptoms associated with this type of respiratory condition can include chest tightness, difficulty breathing, dizziness, and numbness in the arms, legs, lips, and even the entire body. In more severe cases, it can lead to generalized muscle stiffness or “chicken hand” symptoms with twitching fingers. If not treated promptly, the patient’s life can be in danger.
Although cases like Liangliang’s seem extremely rare, according to Changsha Central Hospital, the pediatric emergency department alone received more than 30 minors with similar symptoms in August alone, a 10-fold increase compared to previous months. Academic pressure, exam-caused anxiety, and prolonged use of mobile phones were listed as the main causes.
Liangliang’s shocking story once again put China’s obsession with academic performance into the limelight. In the Asian country, notoriously difficult exams, like the dreaded gaokao, can decide people’s lives and put extreme pressure on students, some of whom struggle to endure.
