The psychological well-being of Hong Kong's secondary school pupils improved slightly in the last academic year but was still worse than before the pandemic, the Department of Health said on Wednesday.

About 430,000 children in primary and secondary education received student health services in the 2023/24 school year.

Data from the department's annual report shows 2.8 percent of secondary pupils reported having had plans to take their own lives, while 1.3 percent said they had actually attempted suicide.

This figures were up from the 2.5 percent and 1.1 percent recorded in 2018/19.

"This is self-reported, so it may not represent the whole story. Some students may not wish to tell in the questionnaire... It may be underestimated or overestimated," said community medicine consultant Chuang Shuk-kwan.

"If they say yes to the attempted suicide or planned suicide, we are very concerned and we will provide them individual counselling, and if necessary, we will refer them to the specialist or even A&E departments, if there is indeed an emergency."

Dr Chuang also said that over 40 percent of primary school students and 80 percent of secondary school students spent two or more hours per day using electronic screens for recreational purposes.

She said the increased screen time among students may worsen their vision.