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Public health statistics show at least 10 million Chinese teenagers are addicted to the Internet. And many parents are ready to try anything to find a cure. To meet demand, a number of organizations have come up with a variety of controversial remedies. Reporter finds out how some of those methods fared.
In May, electric shock therapy used by a web addiction rehabilitation clinic was questioned by the public. During the treatment, electrodes are attached to a patient's hands or temple and charges measuring between one and five milliamperes are administered to cause pain. Such therapy is meant to make addicts associate their behavior with unpleasant sensations, thus pushing them to quit.
In July, the Ministry of Health banned the use of electric shock treatments to cure youngsters of web addiction.
People's attention focused on methods aimed at curbing Internet dependency again in August, when a teenage boy died just hours after his arrival at an Internet rehabilitation site in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Supervisors locked the boy in a windowless room and started beating him because he refused to move into the training camp. That night, the teenager developed a fever and began vomiting. He was hospitalized, but died of his injuries the next morning.
Local authorities shut down the training camp, and police officers detained 13 suspects for questioning.