Tough Love Approach to Internet Addiction

Photo courtesy of: The Times

With children all around the world being exposed to the internet at an early age, many parents are anxious on finding tactics to combat the increasing internet-craze among the younger generation. In America, oftentimes parents will set up an internet filtering system or revert to the tried-and-true scolding. However, the Chinese take internet obsession among their youth very seriously as an unacceptable addiction. China has taken a more direct and serious approach to showing their children tough love when it comes to kicking their internet addiction. For some kids, spending too much time online means a family trip to boot camp where the option of surfing online becomes a distant memory.

With an estimated 300 million internet users, China is struggling with the problem of a large internet-obsessed youth demographic. China's increasing concern resulted in the creation of the country's first Internet-addition-treatment facility, the China Youth Mental Health Center. The secluded military compound is in Beijing and more than 3,000 patients have been treated there ranging in ages of 12 - 22. Having an "internet addiction" is classified by the director of the center as using the web for six consecutive hours a day for three straight months.


Once checked in, most "patients" are required to stay for three months without any access to cell phones and of course, computers. The parents are also expected to stay at the center for several weeks of treatment since the director believes the child's addictions often stems from parental mistakes. The center demands not only a great deal of discipline and time, but also a steep amount of money. The total stay can cost around $3,000 - almost three month's salary for the average Chinese couple. But for many families, the end is worth the means in this case.

There are no luxuries at this camp, only a strict and disciplined daily routine. The patients get up at 6:30 a.m. and go to bed at 9:30 p.m. Throughout the day they engage in military drills, therapy sessions, reading and sports. It may seem surprising to us, but many patients who have completed the program say that although it seemed unbearable at first, the experience grew to be comfortable and peaceful. Many patients still in the program have said that their internet addiction was ruining their lives: they constantly ate unhealthy food in front of the computer, became very unfocused and skipped numerous classes just so they could stay on the internet. The discipline of the program forces them to get their priorities in order. Another surprise is that as many as 30 students from two of China's most prestigious universities have been to the camp. The director says that many of the camp's patients are very smart, but that they have encountered a detour in their youth and that the camp helps them get back on track and regain their confidence.

Personally, I see many gaps in China's tough love approach to internet addiction. Let's start with the vague definition the center gives to "internet addiction." Many researchers or financial analysts who use their computers for hours on end could also be defined as an "internet addict" by the camp's guidelines. Also, just the idea of sending a 12 year old to a military camp just seems a bit too extreme - in combination with the costs and the time for that child to be taken out of school seems much too costly in more ways than one. With only 5 years under the camp's belt, we are not able to know the long-term success rate of the graduating patients and whether or not they will simply relapse into their addiction a few days, weeks, or years later. Although I believe that a little discipline is good for getting one's life back on track, this camp seems to pushing it on the concept of tough-love.

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