Efforts called for on students' mental health

Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, said the threshold for the psychological counseling industry in China is relatively low, and many child psychologists lack professional qualifications.

Some commercial psychological counseling institutions provide services that may not only be ineffective, but could also exacerbate adolescents' psychological issues, he said.

The diagnoses of children's depression may be inappropriately expanded to psychological diseases because of limited time for treatment or unprofessional methods, he added.

Ding proposed strengthening frustration education in schools, teaching young students how to effectively manage negative emotions.

"We could train children's psychological resilience to frustration from kindergarten, while adjustments could be made in family education," he said.

It's essential to engage children in outdoor activities and sports to prevent internet addiction. "In addition, we should guard against the abuse of sleep aids and related drugs," he added.

Political advisers in the education sector made multiple proposals to address the concerns over students' mental health issues during the group meeting of the recently concluded two sessions, Xinhua News Agency reported.