Chinese police are investigating a boot camp for internet
addicts after a teenage boy died, apparently following a severe
beating, just hours after checking in, the official Xinhua news
agency said.
Four trainers from the camp were detained in connection with 15
year-old Deng Senshan's death, after injuries were found all over
his body, Chinese media quoted local government officials as
saying.
China has the world's largest internet population, with almost 300
million users at the end of last year.
Problems caused by internet over-use are on the rise, especially
among young Chinese seeking an escape from the heavy burden of
parental expectations, and there are over 200 organisations
offering treatment for internet disorders in China.
Many of the camps are imbued with a military atmosphere.
Patients are forced to replace hours in front of the computer
with arduous physical drills or even more extreme treatments.
China in July banned electro-shock therapy as a treatment for
internet addiction after media reports about a controversial
psychiatrist who administered electric currents to nearly 3,000
teenagers.
"The market of Internet addiction treatment in China is in a total
mess due to lack of diagnostic standards and treatment guidelines,"
Xinhua quoted Tao Ran, director of the country's first internet
addiction clinic, as saying.
"The tragedy is not accidental. Most rehab camps adopt military
training, but many teenage Internet addicts cannot handle it well.
Thus it comes with conflicts and violence."
