So hard to get Hong Kong’s ‘hidden youth’ to leave home, now pandemic drives them into isolation again
- Reclusive youngsters trying to change suffer a setback as pandemic closes help centres
- Expert warns of burden to families, society if more young people refuse to leave home
Being cooped up at home for months because of the coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on a group of young Hongkongers who have become increasingly withdrawn from society, experts warn.
These “hidden youth” are hermits who refuse to step out of their homes for months, even years. They do not go to school, do not have jobs, avoid interacting with others, and can drive worried family members to desperation.
Social workers engaged in the slow process of helping these recluses change say the social-distancing measures brought in to combat the virus have set back their efforts.
Chuck (the names of all of the subjects of this article have been changed to protect their identities), 25, has returned to some of his old ways since measures to contain the Covid-19 outbreak were introduced.
As a teenager, he had no friends in secondary school and poor grades led to his repeating Form Three. Feeling isolated and ashamed of his poor performance, he dropped out in 2013, after completing Form Five.
He stayed at home for the next seven years, sleeping all day and staying up at night to avoid his parents and younger sister, now 16. He spent his waking hours online and playing computer games.
