Wang Duo, lying on his bed, serves as an extreme example of the devastation wrought by internet addiction. Yet every similar tragedy stems from causes far deeper than the mere twenty-inch computer screen.
Tracing Wang Duo's 23-year journey reveals deep scars etched into his fate: parental divorce, personal neglect, and the inherent allure of online gaming. Within this dysfunctional ecosystem, his downfall seemed almost inevitable.
Wang Duo's story has also triggered a ripple effect. In recent days, numerous anxious parents have called, revealing similar struggles within their own families. This parental anxiety is precisely what demands society's attention and reflection.
The Troubled Families Behind Internet-Addicted Youth
After several days of hospital treatment, Wang Duo cried for the first time yesterday.This outburst stemmed from incisive questioning by Jiang Pu, principal of Newt's Family Education Support Center. "How would you evaluate your parents' approach to your education?" Jiang Pu asked. As memories surfaced, Wang Duo recounted an incident from eighth grade: one evening during self-study, his father arrived on a motorcycle demanding he pack his bag and return home.Upon arriving home, his father asked him, "If you want to continue studying, go with your mother. If you don't want to study, come with me." Only then did he learn that his parents had divorced in court a few days earlier. At that moment, Wang Duo felt immense pain.
Wang Duo recalled that even when he was in elementary school, his parents were too busy making a living to communicate with him much.One night, after working on homework late, his father took his notebook, spotted an error, and immediately struck him with a bamboo rod. This left him too afraid to sit on a chair in the classroom for three days. "After being beaten so often, I became sensitive and prone to rebellion."
Jiang Pu analyzed that Wang Duo was just 14 when his parents divorced.This coincided with the rebellious phase of adolescence. At a time when he most needed guidance, he lacked parental supervision and communication, leaving deep scars from his teenage years. "Based on our analysis of 800 cases, every internet-addicted teenager has a troubled family and problematic family education behind them," Jiang Pu stated. He believes the causes of internet addiction are multifaceted, but family education is central. As parents, they must prioritize their children's psychological development.
Finding Real-World Achievement to Overcome Internet Addiction
Wang Duo spent nights gaming in internet cafes yet still worked at a hair salon during the day. He even attempted to start his own business, raising funds to open a shop. Jiang Pu observed that while Wang Duo retained some social functionality, his continued internet addiction as an adult revealed a lack of self-control.Family upheavals significantly impacted Wang Duo's development, fostering self-centeredness and strong rebellious tendencies. His choice of the internet stemmed partly from seeking spiritual fulfillment and partly from hoping to gain family attention and affection through defiant behavior.
Jiang Pu explained that a father's education embodies rules, authority, and willpower.The period before age six is critical for personality formation, with the father playing a pivotal role. Wang Duo lacked training in self-control through family education from an early age. Jiang Pu believes Wang Duo harbors his own ideals and pursuits, but the gap between these ideals and reality is vast, leading him to seek fulfillment online. To help Wang Duo overcome his internet addiction, it is essential to cultivate his abilities and enable him to find a sense of accomplishment in the real world.Overcoming internet addiction isn't about abstaining from the internet, but helping adolescents develop a new self-understanding and enhance their ability to handle setbacks and manage situations.
Parents should learn to unlock their children's emotional barriers.
Wang Duo himself believes that the inherent appeal of online games wasn't the primary cause of his tragedy. "It wasn't like I went to the internet cafe for the first time that day; it was because I had the opportunity to access it."The internet serves as a spiritual refuge for adolescents." Jiang Pu contends that online games captivate teens because they empower them to wield immense influence and cultivate a formidable persona, yielding a sense of accomplishment unattainable in reality. "When a child becomes addicted to the internet, parents shouldn't immediately blame the internet itself. Instead, they should first reflect on their parenting methods and the quality of their parent-child relationship," Jiang Pu analyzes.
Jiang Pu advocates that parents should deeply understand their child's psychology: "Criticize when necessary, encourage when appropriate, and establish rule-based education when needed. By creating a family reward system, you can improve family dynamics and help your child open up."