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A recent BBC report reveals that school-based anxiety has soared to what mental health experts describe as “epidemic” levels in Northern Ireland, with tens of thousands of youths missing significant classroom time due to overwhelming emotional distress, autism, ADHD, and bullying. The scale of the crisis has prompted calls for urgent review of both mental health supports and how schools address students’ individual needs. With Thailand facing rising cases of adolescent mental health problems after the pandemic, these findings carry crucial implications for Thai educators, parents, and policymakers.

A global wave of school-related anxiety is prompting urgent calls for better mental health support in classrooms. In Northern Ireland, tens of thousands of students have missed substantial class time due to overwhelming distress, autism, ADHD, and bullying. The situation highlights a growing need for flexible approaches to education that protect students’ well-being while maintaining learning momentum. With Thailand reporting rising adolescent mental health concerns after the pandemic, Thai educators, parents, and policymakers can draw practical lessons from this crisis.

A surge in anxiety among students is reshaping how schools view attendance and well-being. In Northern Ireland, thousands of children have missed substantial numbers of days, and experts warn that emotionally driven school avoidance is disrupting education at a scale that demands urgent action. Data shows that 85,000 pupils have missed more than 10% of school days this year, underscoring a crisis that goes beyond truancy. This international development offers timely lessons for Thai educators and policymakers navigating post-pandemic mental health and learning challenges.

School-related anxiety among students has reached an “epidemic” scale in Northern Ireland, with absenteeism numbers and emotional distress rates sparking urgent calls for intervention and reform. Recent reporting from the BBC revealed that 85,000 children in Northern Ireland have missed more than a tenth of school days this academic year alone, with experts warning that emotionally-based school anxiety is “off the Richter scale” and significantly disrupting education systems (BBC News). As Thailand contends with its own mental health challenges among students—exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic—this global surge in school anxiety offers critical lessons local educators and policymakers must urgently consider.

As artificial intelligence reshapes work, learning, and everyday life, a notable segment in Thailand questions or limits its adoption. AI tools, from chat assistants to smart recommendations, are increasingly influential. Yet many Thai readers see value in preserving human creativity, mindful energy use, and genuine social connections. This perspective reflects broader concerns about automation’s impact on jobs and culture, and how technology fits Thailand’s unique society.

Global momentum around AI is clear. Generative AI now attracts billions of monthly interactions, signaling a rapid shift in how people access information and craft content. For Thailand, the reach of digital technology—from Bangkok’s smart-city ambitions to remote-commerce—means AI is familiar but carries distinctive implications for local livelihoods and daily life.

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and their rivals are reshaping the workplace, education, and even leisure activities, a notable segment of individuals are actively choosing to resist – or at least question – this digital transformation. As AI becomes an invisible hand guiding everything from web searches to music recommendations, the reluctance to embrace it reflects deeper concerns about human creativity, environmental costs, and the fabric of genuine social connection BBC News.