Electroshock and Internet addiction

China bans treatment for compulsive users

If you’re surfing the web for more than six hours a day, and either fear social contact, have trouble concentrating, or crave being online, you may be an internet addict—according to the Chinese government. Scientists in the country put forth the first ever definition of Internet addiction last year, and ever since the government has been struggling with finding effective treatment for its droves of compulsively-online youth. There are hundreds of Internet-addiction treatment centres across China, and no unified approach to therapy, so their methods have come into question. Many of the centres use electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the effectiveness and safety of which have never been proven. Finally, the Chinese government has issued a ban on ECT while experts investigate the effects of the treatment and whether the definition of Internet addiction may be too broad.

The Guardian