Earlier this week on BON News we reported on China's growing problem of children and young adults addicted to the internet. One recent survey claimed the number of young web addicts was almost 24 million last year – double that of five years ago. Although the authorities have not officially labeled Internet addiction a clinical condition there is recognition of the problem and government-funded clinics exist to offer treatment.
And the phenomenon has become of increasing concern to desperate parents who have resorted to sometimes extreme methods to try and '"unhook" their children from online games such as anti-addiction "bootcamps". Now China's Ministry of Culture has said parents whose children are addicted to an online game can ask the game company to cancel their child's account. Along with the Ministry, six domestic online game companies are collaborating in the initiative and will provide parents with hotlines to call to have an account deactivated.
In order to avoid abuse, such as malicious reports, detailed information such as guardians' information and proof of the relationship will have to be provided. The initiative has triggered plenty of discussion online and our researcher Kevin Jia has been following the threads.
As our Media Watch team has reported, one of the most heated discussions around dinner tables and online has focused on the government's restrictions on dating shows.
The authorities have ruled that participants in the hugely popular TV matchmaking shows here will have to undergo stricter screening procedures.
The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has banned "fake participants, morally provoking hosts and hostesses, sex-implied comments" in reality shows, which are sweeping the country's prime-time programming.
For years, many news sites were reluctant to let readers post comments on their websites. When they finally took on the idea, it was accepted that anyone could say what they want and stay anonymous at the same time. But that idea is now coming under attack from several directions, and journalists, more than ever, are questioning whether anonymity should be a given on news sites.
Well, online gaming is one of the biggest growing markets in China. Unlike America, where video games on a console are popular, here it's all about computer games and the online interaction they foster. BON's Tony Zhou tells us about one group of enthusiasts who've made one hugely popular online farm game - into a real-life farm!