Teenager dies within 48 hours of being sent to Chinese internet addiction camp

Doctors examining body said teen sustained more than 20 external injuries

A Chinese teenager died days after he was sent to an internet addiction treatment centre, reigniting criticism of these controversial institutions, reported BBC.

The 18-year-old had sustained multiple injuries, and the director of the centre along with its staff members are being held by the police, according to reports. The incident took place earlier this month. China has seen a proliferation in these “boot-camps” aimed at treating internet or gaming addictions.



Some of them are known for the military-style discipline and have been criticised for harsh practices. The teenager’s mother said her son had developed internet addiction which she felt they were unable to control or help with.

The parents then decided to enroll their son in a centre in Fuyang city which claimed to use “psychological counselling and physical training” to treat children, reported Anhui Shangbao newspaper.

They dropped their son on August 3, and two days later, the parents were informed that their son had been rushed to the hospital, where he later died. The cause of  death is unknown. But the parents said they were told by doctors who examined their son's body that he had sustained more than 20 external injuries, as well as several internal injuries. They were allowed to see his body in the mortuary.

"My son's body was completely covered with scars, from top to toe... When I sent my son to the centre he was still fine, how could he have died within 48 hours?" Mrs Liu was quoted as saying in Anhui Shangbao.

Addiction "boot camps" have grown in number across China in recent years. Some are run out of government hospitals while others are private centres or schools.

They remain popular despite growing controversy over some centres' practices, such as beating patients and electroshock therapy, and a string of shocking incidents. Last year, a teenager reportedly killed her mother for sending her to a centre where she was allegedly abused.



Trent Bax of Ewha Womans University, who has researched Chinese internet addiction, says many centres use "emotive power advertising" which appeal to parents who want "a 'quick fix' solution to their child's problems".

"The parents are also acting in response to a very real fear that the only child's successful future may never be realised because they refuse to stop gaming and start studying," he told the BBC.