China moves to rein in harsh treatment of Internet addicts

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about what at the time was a startling new phenomenon in Asia — sending teenage Internet addicts to boot camps. Not only were they forced to go cold turkey without their laptops, game consoles and Web phones, but these teens also had to rise at dawn to march in formation, do calisthenics and climb telephone poles to cure themselves of their obsession with games and texting.

Since then, apparently, the issue of Internet addiction has become an even bigger deal in China. In 2008, Chinese doctors officially classified Internet addiction as a disease, and studies have estimated that 10 percent of Chinese Internet users -- which translates to about 34 million people -- are hooked on their PCs. The news media has been filled with reports of the misery caused by Internet addiction, including the recent story of a Chinese mother who attempted suicide because her son could't control his gaming Jones.

As a result, more than 200 boot camps and other tough-love organizations have sprung up in China to treat youthful keyboard junkies. According to this August Los Angeles Times article, many of the treatment facilities are run by former [Chinese] army soldiers and have employed harsh methods, ranging from beatings to prolonged electroshock treatments. The Times detailed the case of one 14-year-old camper from Chengdu, in Sichuan province, who was beaten so severely that he ended up in the hospital with broken ribs, kidney damage and internal bleeding. "I never imagined they could be so cruel to treat a child like this," lamented his mother, who had sent him to the camp in hopes of curbing his habit of staying up all night playing games in Internet cafes. "I only wanted him to straighten out his life." But it could have been even worse: At least two other teens have died from similar mistreatment.

The abuse of teen Internet addicts apparently has gotten so out of hand that the Chinese government, which up to this point has taken a hard line against Internet addicts, now feels compelled to step in. The official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, reported that the Chinese Ministry of Health has circulated a draft directive which calls for an end to physical punishment of Internet addicts. Chinese government officials are even backing away from the term "Internet addiction," now preferring to call the problem "inappropriate use of Internet."

Xinhua also reported that China's most prominent Internet addiction expert is calling for an end to harsh methods. Tao Ran, initiator of the definition on Internet addiction and director of the country's first Internet addiction clinic under the Beijing Military Command General Hospital, described Internet addition as "a disease, which cannot be cured by military training or physical punishment." Tao advocated treatment of excessive Internet users in mental health facilities, instead of boot camps.

"It's dangerous that the treatment market is in a total mess. We need standards and guidelines," Tao said.