00:08this is song shang sheng the 15 year old spends his time in this room every day 24 hours most
00:16of
00:16the time he sits in front of the computer chang chung lives in a virtual world he is addicted
00:22to the internet i play all day in china teenagers like these are sent to places like this one
00:35behind barbed wire and properly locked in in boot camps
00:44strict discipline training just like in an army camp this is to help the addicted teens
00:50we accompany chang chung to one of these camps
00:56chang chung doesn't know yet where his father will take him
01:01dad a drink
01:05he hasn't been to school in six months
01:09i don't go to school anymore because it's boring there computer games are much more fun
01:16his father doesn't know what else to do his last resort the boot camp for internet addicts
01:23we're there when chang chung leaves the house for the first time in months
01:27under a different pretext legally his father's taking him to a leisure camp
01:33turn the computer off completely off
01:41when chang chung gets into the car he has no idea what's in store for him
01:47months of training iron discipline and no computers leisure time it certainly is not
01:53here in the internet boot camp of the city of jina
02:00officially a small elite school where 30 chinese teenagers are treated minimum required age 12 years
02:10after arriving everything goes down really quickly immediately teacher wang song gang picks up the
02:17teenager from the car in an introductory conversation he wants to know more about chang chung and his addiction
02:27what do you feel when you play joy do you feel joy when you shoot someone in the head
02:38yes it slowly dawns on chang chung this isn't a recreational camp but what will happen to him here
02:45hasn't been explained to him yet i'm scared of what comes next
02:52his father clears all formalities the school costs over 500 euros a month a considerable sum of money for
03:00chinese families in cities the average income is just under 300 euros per month however chang chung's
03:07father has a small printing house he can afford the anti-addiction camp
03:14strict rules apply here his father and uncle took shang chung to the camp they can't say goodbye
03:21they aren't allowed to talk to him during his stay
03:28it's a big sacrifice but i'm doing it for my son i wish for him to come back as soon
03:34as possible
03:37this is where chang chung will sleep teacher wang song gang explains the rules
03:48cell phones are prohibited and private belongings like diaries are taken away from the kids
03:53it's like the army in here no secrets and we demand respect
03:58internet addicted kids are not in a position to talk to others they just have to learn to do it
04:02again
04:05i have to stay here for months with no computers where's my father
04:13he's already left i want to see my dad he won't see him for months
04:22when can i go home chang chung feels alone and completely helpless
04:35the next shock for him he has to exchange his own clothes for a military uniform
04:44in this camp for internet addicts boys and girls are treated together or better transformed
04:53hi i'm chang chung i'm from jinan
05:00they start off with a game of basketball earlier in his life chang chung enjoyed playing in the past
05:06when he still had friends since he only plays on his computer he doesn't play sports anymore
05:14in the game chang chung gets the chance to get acquainted with his roommates it sounds nice at first but
05:21his life at the camp will not always be like this tomorrow the training starts and that will be tough
05:29what chang chung doesn't know either he's being monitored around the clock the next morning
05:395 30 a.m the day at the boot camp begins we notice quickly the conciliatory tone from yesterday is
05:48gone
05:57that's how you would picture a boot camp a training camp for soldiers but it's teenagers
06:02being treated here according to the chinese definition sick children anyone sitting in front
06:09of a compute for more than six hours per day is considered an addict in china in germany on the
06:15other hand it's not about hours but rather certain criteria such as negative feelings or a sensation of
06:21losing control 6 30 a.m morning sports with strict discipline community exercise and 24 7 employment
06:30teachers want to combat this addiction we give them army training here to strengthen their weakened bodies
06:42school lessons are also part of the plan but above all physical effort the teachers sound like drill
06:49sergeants to us they keep shouting at the teenagers they demand obedience chang chung is in despair
06:55i can't believe that my father sent me here and that i have to do all these things i miss
07:03my computer and i'm very nervous
07:08chang chung comes from the neighboring jinan a city of six million inhabitants
07:14his parents are divorced he lives with his father in a 60 square meter apartment
07:21chang chung's internet addiction began a year ago his family blames his friends
07:34he used to hang out with bad friends and play on their computers with them all the time
07:38at home he just kept on playing his father didn't allow him to meet his friends the 15 year old
07:51rebelled
07:51and didn't want to go to school anymore his father has to work a lot and has little time for
07:58his son
07:59left alone chang chung sank more and more into the virtual world a vicious circle chang chung's uncle also
08:06tries to help we switched off the internet connection but then he stole money and escaped to the internet cafe
08:18we would always have to search for him for days we hit him too and all this did nothing
08:27when his father leaves the apartment he even locks the boy in so he can't go away
08:37now the internet boot camp is meant to save chang chung and a family lifestyle
08:42while filming we notice the teenagers don't have any spare time everything is planned to the last detail
08:49at home i never had to clean but here i've no choice
08:56and that's exactly the plan
09:03you scrub too slowly look at this
09:13this is how you do it
09:17before breakfast everyone sings an army song together it's about freedom the homeland and having a fighting
09:32spirit
09:337 30 a.m breakfast a short time to relax the wrong sign even during the meals they're being trained
09:42talking during the meal is of course forbidden
09:51how thoroughly the daily routine is timed is best proven by the next agenda item 7 50 a.m toilet
09:59break
10:03the next exercise sounds simple enough but it isn't standing still for 30 minutes
10:12by standing still the teenagers should finally learn self-discipline
10:18it's true it's not simply standing around shoulders back the eyes 15 degrees towards the ground heels
10:25together and the feet 60 degrees apart it usually takes half a month for the students to get used to
10:32this position but it takes much longer for them to do it we notice nobody steps out of line
10:43all follow the will of the teacher why this is we want to know from chang chung
10:49i do that because the others do too i don't want to be a negative presence
10:59that's exactly what the teachers say the group is important nobody wants to be the outsider
11:11how uncomfortable that can be chang chung experiences in the next exercise
11:16dancing the 15 year old can't quite master the steps yet and immediately feels isolated
11:27he tries to hide his discomfort
11:31i don't know what to do nobody has showed me how
11:39we were assured that there's no physical punishment here there are 250 boot camps for internet addicts in
11:47china in some the teachers use violence or work with electric shocks
11:54the next task overcome their limits and build body tension
12:01this is what the exercise should look like
12:06and that's what it looks like when chang chung does it
12:13an important lesson for chang chung not to give up always try pushing a bit harder
12:21a first success this motivates him of course to keep going on
12:28the longer we stay the more we get the impression that this is very similar to a soldier training camp
12:34but to our surprise chang chung likes it
12:42it's exhausting but it's fun
12:50the lunch break lasts two hours the youngsters are not allowed to leave the ground during their entire stay
13:01yu ya bo found at the school five years ago why are there so many kids addicted to the internet
13:07in china
13:09on the one hand there's a lot of pressure on our children and society doesn't really give them an
13:15opportunity to relax and the second important reason the kids try to get recognition and respect
13:21and that's more achievable playing computer games than in real life
13:27after the break the next exercise the teenagers are meant to support each other and form a table
13:33the exercise is extremely demanding on the thighs the kids have to hold out as long as they can
13:47mutual trust an important lesson at home everyone is a lone fighter isolated in his own little virtual world
13:56here they have to work together again for the first time chang chung finds that hard
14:05they have to work together again for the first time they have to work together again for the first time
14:06i'm scared
14:12chang chung has to fall backwards and trust his colleagues will catch him
14:23he does it
14:30it's very scary and difficult to trust others but if i were home right now i'd sit in front of
14:36the
14:36computer and feel tired today i feel really good amazing after only a short time at the camp chang chung
14:46begins
14:47to realize that real life goes on outside and that he's addicted to the internet will this realization
14:54last or do the first successes make him euphoric one thing is said he still has to go through a
15:01long
15:01hard school a stay in the boot camp lasts between four and six months
15:08he may leave the camp today he's song chi after four months
15:17in the last four months i made great new friends here today i go back home i promise you i
15:23will change
15:29like everything else in the camp the farewell ceremony is strictly ritualized
15:36pucks are exchanged with tears in their eyes
15:50allegedly 90 of internet addicted teenagers leave the camps cured we cannot verify the number but we
15:58ask ourselves transforming addicted teens with military training can that really be the solution
16:07i'm looking forward to seeing my family and my home again i've worked so hard on myself i won't be
16:14addicted to the internet anymore
16:189 30 pm bedtime chang chung is completely exhausted we were allowed to accompany him during the first days
16:26in the boot camp will he stick to the next months he's confident
16:33i'm convinced that when i go home i'll no longer be addicted to the internet
16:40whether he really will succeed remains to be seen
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