Internet rehab for 12-year-olds: London clinic is first to treat computer addicts

Tragic: Megan Gillan took a fatal overdose after postings about her clothes and looks
12 April 2012

A London clinic is launching the country's first dedicated therapy programme for children addicted to the internet and computer games.

Children as young as 12 will have to do "cold turkey" in a residential unit to wean them off their compulsion. They will also be taught face-to-face social skills.

The Capio Nightingale Hospital will treat children who are so hooked on technology their health is at risk. Some are said to fly into a rage if they are told to switch off their computers and the police have been called in some cases.

The clinic in north London has been inundated with calls from worried parents including one from the mother of a 13-year-old who said the child was displaying signs of compulsive behaviour.

A survey of secondary school children revealed that more than a quarter are spending more than six hours a day on computers.

Some so-called "screenagers" are developing sleep disorders and depression as a result. Other symptoms of addiction include not eating properly, withdrawal symptoms, fatigue and a sense of isolation from society.

Experts today called for new professional standards on how to treat addicted children. The Coalition for Internet Safety said parents needed help. Addiction to the internet is classed as an official condition in some countries.

Dr Richard Graham, an expert in child and teen disorders, will head Capio Nightingales' Young Person Technology Addiction Service.

The psychiatrist said: "Technology addiction is like gambling, you end up with withdrawal symptoms such as agitation. You get hyper-stimulated so you're always on the alert. What we need are official guidelines now on what counts as healthy or unhealthy use of technology."

He added: "I've been contacted by parents who see their children going into a rage when they're told to turn off their computer. Some end up having to call the police. The problem is that some children play games like World Of Warcraft for the social contact.

"It gives them a sense of connection so they end up playing all the time. It's the same buzz as playing a sport like tennis but you're not going to be playing tennis at one in the morning."

The clinic's programme will offer residential treatment so children are technology-free and instead focus on face-to-face social interaction.

It is also designed to increase off-screen social activities and develop strategies to cope with online problems such as cyber bullying. Other aspects include "tech hygiene" where patients are taught how to switch off from the internet and games.

Dr Graham said: "Mental health services need to adapt quickly to the changing worlds that young people inhabit, and understand just how seriously their lives can be impaired by unregulated time online, on-screen or in-game.

"We have found that many of the existing services fail to recognise the complexity of these situations, borrowing from older models of addiction and substance misuse."

Clinics including the Priory treat children for addictions such as alcohol, drugs and excessive use of the web. But Capio is the first to offer a dedicated service for children that focuses exclusively on compulsive use of the internet and games.

Internet safety adviser John Carr, from the Coalition for Internet Safety which includes Action for Children, called on experts to draw up new professional standards on how to treat technology-addicted children.

He said: "There's still no consensus in the UK as to whether this can be called an addiction because there is no substance such as drugs or alcohol involved. This is a major obstacle." It is estimated that 10 per cent of Britain's 46.6 million web users may be addicts.

Teenager committed suicide after classmates tormented her on Bebo

Megan Gillan was just 15 when she took a fatal overdose of painkillers. Her classmates used the website Bebo to bully her.

Her death highlights the dangers of the internet, particularly when used to make new friends.

She took her life in January 2008 after classmates posted spiteful messages about her appearance and clothes. She was found dead in bed by parents Mark and Margaret.

She was taken out of class in Macclesfield High School in Cheshire to separate her from her tormenters and studied alone in a room used for disruptive pupils.

At the inquest, her mother, a 54-year-old hospital worker, said: "She said to me, I'm not going to school tomorrow'. I said to her: You have to go to school tomorrow because you've got a science exam in the morning'.

"I said I promise if you do the exam I'll come and pick you up afterwards'. Those were the last words I spoke to her.

"I believe that Megan took those tablets because she possibly wanted to be poorly in the morning because she didn't want to go to school or to get attention."

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