Four-five rocks!

Newspaper Review 1

“Internet Addiction on the INCREASE”



Here’s the summary:

There has been a sharp increase in numbers of young people getting addicted to the internet over the past 6 years. Almost every month pops up a new addict in the hospitals. Doctors say it is becoming another type of heroin with young adults getting “trap in the Web”. The excessive usage has caused some addicts to forgo their studies and for worse case, the addicts even stop showering for a few weeks just to stay online more.

Parents that have tried a more forceful method such as cutting them off from the computers have made matter worse because they retaliated with anger and aggressive verbal language. They had to call on help-lines to seek help. It is even harder for parents to control their kids when they had to work most of the time. Hospital on the other hand used the same method but with a little tweak in it. They made a structured daily programme which weans off the teenagers of their addiction, unlike most parents who only cuts their child off the computer leaving them with nothing meaningful and interesting to do.

It is advisable for parents to limit their children since they are young and instill the correct mindset of computer usage to minimize the chances of the children getting addicted. Singapore government would not want to put these addicts as mental patients like how China did.


My opinion:

I know that such addiction could get that bad because I have experienced it before. I was addicted in Sec 1 and the experience was horrible. I couldn’t control myself from using the computer, stuck in front of it for 6 to 8 hours straight. I also couldn’t control my temper and often losing it when I was reprimanded for using it and my brother fighting with me over it. So I hope things for these kids get better before their life is ruined by addiction to the computer. Their reaction can get violent if you do not put it under control.

It was lucky I was still able to keep my head clear enough to keep myself away from the computer for one month, that’s when the addiction starts to get wear off and keep my mind occupied by sports and homework.

For the rest of you out there, do you feel addicted ?


Haiz... 3 newspaper report and 1 more book review to go.
~Joseph~
5 dec 2008.
Origin of Article: The Straits Times
Credits for this post: The Straits Times writer, Tan Wei Zhen and homework-binded kid, Ng Boon Hao (a.k.a Joseph).