The viral world is their only friend in a lonely life.

In China today there are some 618,000,000 users of the internet and many are addicted teenagers who spend many hours in this virtual world. What is the underlying cause of this addiction? A powerful programme on BBC Four Storyville: Web Junkies - China's Addicted Teens last night tried to address the social and family problem this causes. There are some 400 units in China dedicated to seeking to help these teenagers. At a most poignant part during an interview with a family there was increased tension between a boy and his father - as it was disclosed that the father had in the past tried to knife his son. This led to a confrontation in the public consulting room.
I had a number of criticism of their way of working with the families. Basically the therapist reinforced the hierarchy of the social system and asked the boy to apologise to his father and to say to him 30 times "father" while kneeling on front of him. In my opinion it would have been more efficacious if the father had apologised to his son for not showing him more love and respect.
What came to light was the enormous loneliness of these teenagers - they sort to solve this on-line in virtual friendships. In addition the national one child per family policy means that all children have the burden of family hopes and aspirations placed on their young shoulders. So there is undue focus on how well their studies are progressing and little else. Doing things with their children appeared to be of little value - only studying and doing well at these studies was important.
Having worked with families in the NHS and in private practice for 40 years we also have a problem in this country. Parents don't spend sufficient quality time with their children. I often see them on their smart phones and not paying enough attention to their kids. It may not be as severe here as in China, but we cannot afford to be complacent and smug. Its an issue that certainly must be addressed before our teenage children become internet addicts due to their loneliness.