Digital addiction

For over a year, Chen Liang from Chenzhou, Hunan Province, has been helping youth recover from Internet addiction. Though he does not earn much from the "emotion studio" he set up, Chen knows first hand that helping a family in need exceeds the satisfaction of making money.

Chen used to be a management trainer, coaching managers and bosses from different enterprises on management. He noticed in his conversations that many of his clients had problematic relationships with their children.

Some of the children were addicted to the Internet, some were violent and some were in romantic entanglements at an early age.

With an educational background in applied Psychology, Chen offered his advice to help alleviate their problems.

"They were happy, and I found that their happiness meant more to me than helping them make money," said Chen. With this realization, he shifted his career focus.

Home for the heart

The "youth Web psychological mentor" is a new occupation recognized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, to help youth overcome Internet addiction.

In April 2011, volunteers and experts from education, public service and medical science backgrounds gathered together to work on a project for the mental development of young adults.

The project is to train more youth Web psychological mentors and provide services at places known as xinling jiayuan (home for the heart) for youth in need. So far, the project has covered 83 cities and regions in China.

Chen's "emotion studio" was the first in Chenzhou to be authorized as a training center and a "home for the heart" in the project.

All qualified psychological mentors are given a certificate approved by China Employment Training Technical Instruction Center (CETTI), an organization under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, responsible for organizing occupational skill tests.

"This is something we all encourage," said Kong Lingzhong, an Internet addiction expert and director of an anti-Web-addiction center in Beijing.

He also supports the regulation of the standard and quality of training, to increase the number of qualified mentors. "This shouldn't be a way for people to make a quick fortune, or to get a certificate by taking only a three-day course. That's not the path we're on," said Kong.

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