Chinese teenager chops off his own hand in a bid to cure his addiction to the Internet

  • Chinese boy, 19, used a kitchen knife to sever his own hand
  • The teenager claimed he was trying to cure his internet addiction
  • An estimated 24million Chinese children considered 'web junkies'

By Sara Malm for MailOnline

Published: 09:50 EST, 3 February 2015 | Updated: 09:50 EST, 3 February 2015

A Chinese teenager has been left in intensive care after trying to cure his internet addiction by cutting off his own hand.

The 19-year-old from Nantong, Jiangsu province used a kitchen knife to sever his left hand, local media reports.

The teen, known only by his last name Wang, had sneaked out of his family home to avoid alerting his parents, and chopped his hand off sitting on a public bench.

Extreme cure: The 19-year-old boy used a kitchen knife to sever his left hand in an attempt to cure his addiction to the internet (stock image)

Extreme cure: The 19-year-old boy used a kitchen knife to sever his left hand in an attempt to cure his addiction to the internet (stock image)

'We cannot accept what has happened. It was completely out of the blue. He was a smart boy,' his mother told reporters, according to The Telegraph.

Images of the bloodstained bench where the teenager allegedly performed the self-amputation was broadcast on local television.

Doctors have been able to reattach the hand, but it is not known if the boy will regain full mobility.

In China, online addiction among young people has become a serious problem, with an estimated 24million children considered 'web junkies'. 

Research published in December last year found that 7.1 per cent of the population in Asia is addicted to the internet. 

Growing problem: An estimated 24 million children in China are considered addicted to the internet

Screens off: Taiwanese under-18s are no longer allowed to 'constantly use electronic products for a period of time that is not reasonable' under new legislation

Screens off: Taiwanese under-18s are no longer allowed to 'constantly use electronic products for a period of time that is not reasonable' under new legislation

As well as introducing laws requiring games companies 'to develop techniques that would limit the gaming time of minors', more than 250 military style boot camps have been set up across China to tackle under-18 internet addiction. 

Last month, neighbouring Taiwan passed a law banning parents from allowing their children under the age of two from using electronic devices such as iPads, televisions and smartphones.  

Parents who allow their young children to play with their gadgets face fines of up to £1,000. 

Meanwhile Taiwanese under-18s are not allowed to 'constantly use electronic products for a period of time that is not reasonable', although the 'reasonable length of time' has not been defined.

The new law means that iPads, smartphones and televisions are now listed alongside cigarettes and alcohol as restricted.  

Research published in the British Medical Journal found that a child born today will have spent a full year staring at screens (tablets, computers, TVs) by the time they reach seven.

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