Obsessed with online gaming, he hadn't stepped outside his home for three years, resembling a wild man;To advance through levels, he spent 200,000 yuan monthly on gaming; even resorting to fraud and theft... Reporters learned at the Sino-German Youth Internet Addiction Psychological Intervention Training Program hosted by the Department of Psychology at Southern Medical University that nearly 10% of adolescents suffer from internet addiction. Among them, those who were "fostered" in early childhood account for as high as one-third of later addicts, forming a high-risk group.Professor Werner F. Singer, a world-renowned German psychologist and president of the German Association for Addiction Treatment, emphasized the alarming trend of younger age groups developing internet addiction. He advises parents to avoid exposing children to online gaming before age six.
Case Study: Gaming Addiction Leaves Youth Dependent on Others for Meals
Working, shopping, socializing—today's Xiao Ding resembles any ordinary office worker in a metropolis. It's hard to imagine that two years ago, when his parents sent him to a psychological hospital for compulsory internet addiction rehabilitation, he had not left his home for three years and resembled a wild man.
"His hair and beard hadn't been trimmed in three years. His hair reached his waist, and he was disheveled and filthy, like a caveman." Xiao Ding began playing World of Warcraft at age 17, becoming increasingly addicted until his parents had to beg him to eat, eventually feeding him by hand. He even developed hallucinations and delusions, claiming to hear extraterrestrials conversing and inviting him to join their battles.
Composition: Former "Foster Children" Account for One-Third
Additionally, adolescents raised by grandparents are a high-risk group for internet addiction. It's reported that one-third of internet-addicted teens were once raised by their grandparents. This is mainly because when they return to their parents, they resist discipline and exhibit strong rebellious tendencies.
Many internet-addicted teens share a history of childhood "foster care." Awei, an internet-addicted teenager, was placed with his grandparents for a period during elementary school. "All the other kids had parents to look after them, but I had no one. Back then, I felt unloved—as if no one cared about me except my grandparents.From that moment, I vowed to be self-reliant. I didn't need parental love. Now that I'm grown up and my parents want to control me, I think: You didn't guide me when I needed it as a child, yet now that I don't want your control, you insist on it.Why should I?" Awei's stubborn "independence" manifested in defiantly surfing the web whenever his parents objected, ultimately plunging him into the quagmire of internet addiction. Xiao Ding, meanwhile, was raised by his grandparents from birth until age ten before returning to his parents. He developed low parental identification, convinced his parents didn't love him.
Experts: Internet Addiction Can Reduce Intelligence
"More and more parents are seeking help: 'My child spends all day playing on the computer. No matter how we try to control it, their grades are slipping, they're late, leaving early, skipping class—what should we do?'" At Southern Medical University, a reporter participated in the 2012 Sino-German Youth Internet Addiction Psychological Intervention Training Program, witnessing world-renowned psychologist Professor Werner F. Singer—President of the German Association for Addiction Treatment—conduct intervention therapy for internet-addicted adolescents.
Professor Werner F. Singer emphasized that internet addiction diminishes intelligence. "The longer one spends online, the lower their cognitive abilities become. Ultimately, this impairs normal communication."
Regarding today's microblogging and Apple device enthusiasts, the professor advised against excessive fear but emphasized the need for moderation to prevent addiction. Addressing toddlers as young as two or three becoming engrossed in iPads playing games like Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds, Werner Singer stated that premature exposure to the online gaming world is inadvisable. Allowing young children to play video games too early diminishes their interest in the real world and shows early signs of potential addiction."Parents should avoid exposing children to such content before age six."
Werner F. Singer advises parents to establish clear boundaries for their children early on and consistently enforce them. He particularly cautions Chinese parents against avoiding boundaries out of fear their children will distance themselves, which can lead to a complete absence of limits.