China: Internet addiction by summer camp

China has just organized a special summer camp for 40 teenagers with " Internet addiction ", hoping to get them out of the familiar computer and cyber world.

This 10-day program only accepts "patients" aged 14-22, who underwent a complex psychological test to assess the "severity" of the disease.

It is estimated that up to 2.6 million people (13%) out of the 20 million Internet users under 18 in the country are classified as "Internet addicts".

Typically, a new student of the East China University of Science and Technology. " He buried himself in the game. Can play without day and night, drop out of school, avoid friends . until he is taken out of the Internet café by a supervisor and taken to a summer camp ", Xinhua The commune said.

Drastically

Source: AFP Participating in the summer camp, patients will be treated with a range of diseases and syndromes such as depression, anxiety, not wanting to interact with others, panic, restlessness .

However, the treatment environment will be "softer" and more flexible than the Center for Internet Addiction Syndrome in Beijing, which uses a combination of pharmacological and military discipline to quell the crushing game at youth.

Concerned by the recent rapid rise in a number of Internet-related deaths and crimes, the Chinese government is setting drastic policies to "clean up" the Internet.

Problems such as gambling, superstition, websex scans, the government also prohibits opening new Internet cafes, limiting online gaming time, and customers entering Internet cafes must show identity cards .

Unofficial statistics show that China currently has about 113,000 Internet cafes and wine bars in operation.

Trong Cam