bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

Internet addiction has increasingly become a major problem among young people, and nowhere is this more true than in China, which is trying to tackle the problem by putting youngsters through their paces at boot camps.
A typical internet boot camp in China involves intense physical training and psychological counselling, as well as the prescription of drugs if doctors consider it necessary.


In the two Beijing camps depicted in these Reuters photographs - Qide Education Centre and Daxing Internet Addiction Treatment Centre - youngers are forced to take part in military-style drills, mandatory lectures and sessions of "practical" work, such as preparing vegetables, that are designed to wean them off of their computer addictions. 



“My parents wanted me to study at home all day, and I was not allowed to play outside,” said one teenager at the Qide Education Centre, surnamed Wang.
He added that he had frequently turned to the internet as a means of escaping social pressures, and had once played straight for more than three days in a row.
“As I became addicted to the game, my school grades tumbled. But I gained another feeling of achievement by advancing to the next level in the game."


Xing Liming, an official at the centre, said that teens typically arrive at a poor mental and physical state.
“Their obsession with the internet has harmed their health and they end up losing their ability to participate in a normal life,” Xing said. "Education and living in a military environment makes them more disciplined and restores [this] ability."


There are an estimated 250 boot camps located throughout the Chinese mainland.


Rebooting addicts: A look at China's internet boot camps

A boy plays the computer game 'Warcraft 3' at an internet cafe in China. Photo: Reuters

Military drills are the norm at many camps. Photo: Reuters

Camp activities include plenty of offline activities, such as preparing vegetables as part of a routine. Photo: Reuters

A boy undergoes a brain scan for test purposes at a treatment centre. Photo: Reuters

Medication is available for those who need it. Photo: Reuters

There are at least 250 internet boot camps throughout China. Photo: Reuters

When camp participants aren't physically training, they also undergo counselling. Photo: Reuters

Camp officials say that living in a harsh military environment makes youngsters more disciplined in the long run. Photo: Reuters

A group of eight boys appear to be having fun as they take part in a drill at their boot camp. Photo: Reuters

A nurse distributes medication at the treatment facility. Photo: Reuters

Internet overuse risks making addicts of us

News

China

Staying at one of the mainland's many internet boot camps is no vacation, and participants are expected to endure harsh military-style training
