Shenzhen has made notable progress in youth health during the 14th Five‑Year Plan period, with the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents dropping by 3.6 percentage points and the proportion of students with excellent physical fitness rising by 23.4 percentage points, according to the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau.

With more than 2.5 million children and adolescents in the city, a 3.6 percentage-point decline translates to over 90,000 fewer students needing corrective lenses. Officials emphasized that eye health is closely tied not only to academic performance and quality of life, but also to long-term national development.

China launched a nationwide campaign against youth myopia in 2018, issuing a comprehensive prevention and control plan with clear targets and measures. Building on this foundation, Shenzhen introduced a "one physical education class every day" policy across compulsory education in 2024. Within a year, the city added 2,000 PE teachers — an increase of 25% — and enabled one‑click reservations for school sports facilities to encourage regular exercise during and outside school hours.

The policy has already shown results: in 2024 alone, the city's youth myopia rate fell by 1.2%. Schools across multiple districts have also upgraded classroom lighting and adopted adjustable desks and chairs. Yantian district has achieved full coverage of "lying‑down" lunchtime rest, while Futian, Luohu, Bao'an, Longgang, Pingshan, and Guangming have made significant improvements in ergonomic and lighting conditions.

At Changyuan Primary School under the Southern University of Science and Technology Education Group (Nanshan), administrators implemented three daily "screen-off periods" — before 8:40 a.m., during the lunch break, and after the sixth class at 15:50. Within just six months, the school's myopia rate dropped by 4.4%.

Shenzhen is also pioneering "AI + eye health" applications. In Nanshan district, schools have adopted an AI-powered "smart badge" that tracks ultraviolet exposure and outdoor activity time, sending reminders through an app to help students, teachers, and parents plan healthier routines. Over two years, participating students saw a 4.3% reduction in myopia rates.

To strengthen long-erm management, the city has created electronic eye-health records for more than 2.5 million children and adolescents. Parents can use a dedicated mini‑program to check results and schedule follow-p examinations, forming a closed-loop system of screening, early warning, review, and intervention.