A researcher at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said the city’s teenage suicide rate hit a record high last year, adding that the pandemic has taken a toll on children's mental health.

Among those aged under 15, the suicide rate rose to 1.7 per 100,000, up from 0.9 in 2019, according to figures by the HKU's Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention.

The centre's director, Paul Yip, attributed the rise to school closures amid the pandemic.

“During Covid, due to the school closure, it actually reduced the opportunity for the schoolchildren to build up the bonding within the school, with their fellow students and also with their teachers. And for the more deprived and vulnerable group... it also created a lot of family conflicts," he said.

Yip urged schools and parents to do more to address children's plight, noting that one in four wrote in their suicide notes that they had problems with their studies or families.

"We can more proactively engage those families with known difficulties, especially from the low-income group and also try to adjust the progress of learning, so that students won't experience excessive pressure."

The expert said school closures should be considered a "last resort", as most youngsters rely on their schools for support.