Chinese teen internet addict dies after rehab

BEIJING: A Chinese teen has died after spending less than 48 hours at a centre that treats internet addicts, shining a spotlight on the controversial facilities that seek to unlatch people from their screens.

The first country to declare internet addiction a clinical disorder, China is estimated to be home to millions of primarily young men who spend hours online. The parents of Li Ao, 18, had tried everything they could think of to cure his internet addiction: showing him the ropes of the family business, encouraging him to join the military and taking him on trips around the country. But after none of these methods produced results, they decided to pay 22,800 yuan for 180 days of "closed, isolated special education" at the rehab centre. The school had promised to use a combination of psychological treatment methods and military training, Li’s parents told state channel CCTV on Sunday.

While the cause of Li’s death remains unknown, his father Li Tao and mother Liu Dongmei told CCTV that the school called them just a day and a half after they had dropped off their son to say that the younger Li was in the emergency room.