TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In Changhua County, on March 23, a young boy, surnamed Cheng (鄭), committed suicide on the evening of his 15th birthday, by jumping from the third floor of his home onto the concrete below.
The third year junior high school student had an argument with his father, who was angered that the boy was playing League of Legends on his computer, rather than studying for an upcoming exam on March 26.
According to reports at around 9:30 p.m., the father berated his son, who was distracted playing the computer game. The father abruptly shut down the computer, which enraged the boy.
The father then left the room, and sometime later, Cheng threw himself from a third story window, resulting in severe head trauma. The father was reportedly unaware of what his son had done for some time after the incident.
The boy was discovered by his grandfather who was returning home from a trip abroad. The grandfather arrived outside the family home at approximately 10:30 p.m. to find the boy outside the house and bleeding profusely from his skull.
Paramedics were alerted immediately, and the boy was rushed to the hospital, but was later declared dead around 3:00 a.m.
Cheng was reportedly an optimistic young boy that performed well in school, but was recently under mounting pressure because of his upcoming high school entrance exams. Apple Daily reports that he had begun spending more time playing online games as a means to relieve his stress, and as most teenagers do, he had become more temperamental and begun to exhibit rebellious behavior.
He lived with his sister and father. His father and mother had divorced three years previous.
Tragically, the boy had just celebrated his 15th birthday by going out with friends for lunch. His father also ordered a pizza that evening for the occasion.
Apple Daily reports that the principal of Cheng’s junior high school notified his classmates and teachers. Many of them reportedly made a visit to the funeral home on Sunday, March 24, the day following the incident.
Those considering suicide should immediately call the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center at any time at 0800-788995 or Taiwan Lifeline International at 1995. Foreign residents can call the Community Services Center's emergency hotline at 0932-594-578 24 hours a day.