There’s a term that strikes fear into Japanese parents: Hikikomori – when teenagers become so withdrawn that they don’t leave the house for months or even years.
But perhaps it isn’t only a phenomenon in Japan: one in seven UK university students now show early signs of Hikikomori, according to a small survey.
It could also be contributing to the growing number of British young people who are NEET – not in education, employment or training – said Dr Yoko Nagai, a neuroscientist at the University of Sussex, who led the study.
The term Hikikomori was first coined by a Japanese psychiatrist in the 1990s, to describe the growing trend of teenagers and young adults who rarely leave home – or even their bedroom.
Dr Nagai wondered how common Hikikomori-like traits are among British university students. Today, about a third of students live with their parents, while even those living away from home could be watching lectures online instead of going in person, she said.
