A group of 12 teenagers and young adults sit in a circle
and shyly introduce themselves. One boy announces with a smile, “I’m 12 years
old and I love playing computer games. That’s it.” Another who is 17 years old
says “it’s been good to sleep” now that he’s not on the computer all day. They are
all patients at China’s fist officially licensed clinic for internet addiction.

All the children have left school because they are
playing games or in chat rooms every day. They are suffering from depression, Nervousness,
fear and unwillingness to interact with others, panic and agitation. They also
have sleeping disorders, the shakes and numbness in their hands. China has the world’s
second largest online population, 94 million after the United States.

China promotes internet use for business and education,
but government officials say internet cafes are eroding public morality. And authorities
regularly shut down internet cafes and many are illegally operated. Media
highlighted cases of obsessed internet gamer, many of whom have flunked out of
school, committed suicide or murder. But still internet cafes continue to
thrive, especially late into the night.

Internet addiction programs were nonexistent about a
decade ago but now programs are growing all over the place. Tao’s government
owned clinic has a dozen nurses and 11 doctors caring for the patients. The patients
are aged 14 to 24, who have lost sleep weight and friends after countless hours
in front of the computer, usually playing video games with others online. Some come
voluntarily while others are checked in by their parents. Most of them say their
online obsessions helped them escape day to day stress. Some can’t stop playing
games while others tend to be addicted to online chats with the opposite sex. Some
are even fixated on designing violent games. About 2.5 million Chinese suffer from
internet addiction though others are skeptical.

China has needed a rehab center for some years now, it's sad how people's lives were lost before they initiated one, but it's better late than never. I'm wondering exactly what people do on the Internet for such long periods of time, I mean I can stay on maybe two hours tops and then not go on for days. I mean, think of all the positive things you can do in 12 hours, instead of being on the Internet.

I'm really surprised about this one. never thought that this would turn out to be as addicteive as it seems to other country like china which has a very big population. So sad to know that they do need hospital like that meaning addiction of internet is very rampant.

That's a good thing in my opinion, other countries should follow China's idea, although one net rehab center for the whole China population is nothing, I'm sure it will influence other ones to show up :D