China bans physical punishment for Internet addicts

China has pledged it will ban the use of physical punishment to treat Internet addiction after reports of beatings and at least one death at clinics for the condition.

Clinics are also banned from locking up addicts or otherwise limiting their physical freedom, the Ministry of health said in regulations posted on its Web site.

Internet obsession has been seen in China as a reason that students begin scoring bad grades or become distant from their parents.

The ministry also recently banned the use of shock treatment for Internet addiction after accounts appeared online of the practice at a hospital in eastern Shangdong province.

The new regulations from the ministry urged minors to limit their time online and avoid surfing the Web to kill time.

People's Daily Online