China looking to stop Internet addiction
(AP)
Updated: 2006-10-28 15:48
China's government wants to develop technology to stop children from becoming
addicted to the Internet, a news report said Friday.
Chinese officials encourage Internet use for education and business but
express growing worry about its effect on children and the possibility that it
could be addictive. Chinese psychologists are looking into the possibility that
heavy Internet users suffer a form of addiction, and a handful of clinics have
opened to wean patients off compulsive Web use.
Parliament is considering a measure to "encourage research and development of
technologies to prevent minors from becoming Internet addicts," the official
Xinhua News Agency reported.
It said the proposed measure — an amendment to a law on protection of minors
— would encourage research into such things as software that stops online gaming
at a fixed time.
The measure also would ban minors from Internet cafes, bars and commercial
dance halls, Xinhua said.
China has the world's second-biggest population of Internet users after the
United States, with 123 million people online.
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