Chinese Teen Cut Off His Hand Because He Was Addicted To The Internet

A Chinese boy cut off his hand to prevent himself from using a dangerous vice that had taken over his life: the Internet.

The Telegraph reports that the mother of the 19-year-old known as Little Wang went into her son's bedroom at 11 pm last Wednesday and found no one.

On the bed was a handwritten note that read,

Mum, I have gone to hospital for a while. Don't worry. I will definitely come back this evening.

The teen snuck out of the Nantong home well before the note was discovered.

Wang had gone to a bench where he took a kitchen knife to his left hand.

He then called a taxi to take him to a nearby university hospital, leaving the hand on the ground as he left the blood-soaked bench.

Police recovered the hand, however, allowing doctors to reattach it.

Doctors say the boy might never have full use of his hand again.

Wang's mother told reporters,

We cannot accept what has happened. It was completely out of the blue. He was a smart boy.

One of Wang's teachers said he cut off his hand because his Internet addiction had made him "impetuous," or carelessly impulsive.

Internet addiction is a serious problem in China, where there are numerous clinics and disciplinary camps to treat the country's estimated 24 million addicts.

A military psychologist who operates a Beijing rehabilitation facility for Internet addiction suggests prohibiting children under the age of seven from using the web and barring anyone under 18 from entering Internet cafes.

The psychologist said,

I heard about the young man who chopped off his hand. But I fear he will become addicted again.

He estimates 14 percent of Chinese children to be Internet addicts.

Citations: Chinese teen chops hand off to cure internet addiction (The Telegraph)