China Declares Internet Addiction a Disorder, Opens a Boot Camp to Treat Teenagers

China is the first country to ever classify Internet addiction as an actual disorder. As a result, the country is pushing for initiatives like boot camps aimed at deprogramming hooked teens, according to PBS.

In Daxing, a suburb just outside of Beijing, an addiction treatment center is guarded by walls topped with barbed wire. Inside the establishment are teenagers living in guarded cells, receiving medications and adhering to a strict physical and dietary regimen all because of their addiction to the Internet. Filmmakers Hilla Medalia and Shosh Shlam explored the inner workings of one such center where teenagers are sent, typically by their parents, to be treated from their addiction within three to four months, in a New York Times Op-Doc video.

Internet addiction in China has been tied to the increasing number of cyber cafes where young adults go to play games for unlimited hours. In the film created by Medalia and Shlam, a patient was featured bragging about spending three uninterrupted days playing at a café. "It felt good," he said while smiling directly towards the camera. "They think taking a restroom break will affect their performance at these games," the program administrator said. "So they wear a diaper. That's why we call it 'electronic heroin'".

During the first few parts of the film, the filmmakers initially thought that the idea behind the boot camp was pretty harsh but as the documentary progressed they realized the actual rationale behind the program. "They know the Internet inside out, but nothing about human beings," a therapist informed a group of patient's parents. "They play to the point of losing themselves." Throughout the years, addiction to online gaming in Asia has become rampant.