Increase in Elementary Students' Study Time, Decrease in Sleep and Leisure Time

In South Korea, it has been confirmed through statistics that while the study time of elementary students is increasing, their sleep and leisure time are decreasing.

According to the 2024 Time Use Survey released by the Statistics Korea on the 28th, the average study time for elementary students last year was 5 hours and 5 minutes, an increase of 19 minutes compared to five years ago.

It is noteworthy that elementary students are the only group among school-aged children whose study time has increased.

During the same period, middle school students (5 hours and 45 minutes) saw a decrease of 12 minutes, high school students (6 hours and 37 minutes) decreased by 7 minutes, and college students and above (3 hours and 11 minutes) decreased by 18 minutes. This phenomenon is analyzed to be influenced by the recent increase in private education targeting young children and elementary students, such as entrance exam preparation for medical schools.

Change in Private Education Participation Rates and Sleep Time

It was found that 9 out of 10 elementary students are receiving “out-of-school education,” including private education.

The proportion of elementary students spending time on "after-school learning activities" that include private education and self-study reached 94.8%. Middle school and high school students were surveyed at 87.3% and 78.0%, respectively.

The time allocated for out-of-school learning was longest among high school students at 3 hours and 6 minutes, followed by middle school students at 2 hours and 55 minutes, and elementary students at 2 hours and 38 minutes. Notably, the time spent by elementary, middle, and high school students all increased by 22 minutes, 4 minutes, and 26 minutes, respectively, compared to the previous year.

The sleep time of elementary students is the longest among all student groups at 9 hours and 20 minutes; however, this has decreased by 5 minutes compared to five years ago.

The group with the shortest sleep time was high school students, with 8 hours and 1 minute, which also decreased by 6 minutes from five years ago. It was also found that all strata, including middle school (-1 minute) and college students (-5 minutes), have experienced reductions in sleep time.

Decrease in Leisure Time and Late-Night Studying

In terms of leisure time, the game and play time for elementary students is 1 hour and 32 minutes, which is longer than that of other groups, but has decreased by 4 minutes compared to five years ago. It is particularly noteworthy that elementary students were the only group whose game and play time has decreased.

The percentage of students who study during bedtimes was highest among high school students at 13.7%, followed by middle school students at 10.6% and elementary students at 7.1%.

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