There are 632 million internet users in China and 24 million of its children are web junkies. In 2008, China declared Internet addiction to be a clinical disorder – a top health threat to its teenagers. According to Chinese psychologists, an Internet addict is someone who skipped lessons at school, spent more than 3-6 hours online, couldn’t go two days without the Internet, rarely left their bedrooms and inhabited an almost entirely virtual universe.
In late 2013, Shanghai approved new laws demanding that parents take action to “prevent and stop minors smoking, drinking alcohol, roaming the streets, or being overindulgent with online and electronic games”. So now in the hope of weaning their offspring off the web, desperate parents are sending them to military-style boot camp designed to rehabilitate Internet-addicts.
‘Addicts’ are required to spend a minimum of three months at the center, and treatment consists of exercise drills, therapy sessions, reading, and games. The center seeks to promote the socialization of its residents, to counter the sense of isolation associated with this type of condition. Parents too learn how to best support their child during their rehabilitation from ‘Internet addiction’.
Tao Ran, an army psychologist who runs a well-known Beijing rehab centre for Internet addicts, says, “Internet addiction leads to problems in the brain similar to those derived from heroin consumption. But, generally, it is even more damaging. It destroys relationships and deteriorates the body without the person knowing. All of them have eyesight and back problems and suffer from eating disorders. In addition, we have discovered that their brain capacity is reduced by eight per cent, and the psychological afflictions are serious”. He feels children below 7 should be kept away from the Internet and online games while those below 18 should be forbidden from stepping inside internet cafés.
You want to support Anonymous Independent & Investigative News? Please, follow us on Twitter: Follow @AnonymousNewsHQ
Its weird how we`re using the internet to look at this.
As always we have been duped. and our enemies are the ones to tell us the truth.
After reading this, I can as a former wow addict and heavy internet user say they are right.
I wasted so many years of my life on nearly nothing, I got good english skills from it maybe but not much more than that, a few friendships also but could have had those with less hours at the pc too.
I also think it is true that we become more dumb from sitting infront of the pc every day, gives sence to me, you may read a lot and get better at those subjects, but in the end your IQ may fall on the other hand. People today are more stupid than ever, the computer, ihpone, laptop could be one of the reasons. Maybe it is through them they plan to make us lazy so we wont fight the corrupt world leaders.
Would be the type of smart move I would exspect the mto use, because noone will think the pc and internet it self is the root to blame for many problems.
Now a days my addion to wow are over, it became the same old and borring but I still play it 1-4 hours a day of boredom I must admit, and I have had breakes for long time since my addiction. But wow is the only game that entertain me, and i’am decent at it wont need to learn a new game from scratch.
I play wow on a private server 2.4.3 tbc expansion, no hurry here, no expansions so you have to start all over gearing up.
But loneliness, the man is spot on, and yeah people change like drug addicts to when they dont get their drugs. Even my mom knew it, but gave up the fight.
First now I realise she tried to help me /faceplam. I felt she was a witch to me back then, locking my keybord and mouse away while in school.
Games can be as addictive as drugs for sure and food.