Online game addicts are not lunatics

Recently, a 19-year-old girl died in a boot camp that helps teenagers to give up their addiction to online games in Henan province. Media reports say that she was practically tortured to death, because the boot camp officials believe in using forceful methods to "discipline" students. Because of their poor understanding of the term "addiction" in relation to online games, rehab officials are pushing many children into an abyss of suffering, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

Many rehabilitation centers for online game addicts use the most intense and humiliating means to force children into obedience. Cases similar to the one in Henan have been reported before. Rehab centers are even known to force children to "drop" on the floor repeatedly until they suffer grievous injuries in order to wean them away from online games.

The misinterpretation of the word "addiction" has become the fountain of fortune for boot camps, which exploit the ignorance and fear of parents. Such rehab centers brainwash desperate parents by comparing their children to drug addicts so that they'd pay huge sums to "save" their offspring. The truth is that there are fundamental differences between drug addiction and online game addiction.

The medical term for allergic reaction in Chinese is biantai, which can also mean "psychopath". Therefore, there is need to change the signboards in allergy departments of hospitals from "Allergic Reaction Department" to "Allergy Department".

Online game addiction can be cured only by improving children's psychological health, such as boosting their self-esteem and inspiring them to success. Love, understanding and inspiration, not torture and humiliation, are needed to bring online game addicts back on the right track.

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.