Fourteen young detainees overcame their guard and fled a boot camp regime of physical training and psychological treatment designed to cure their addiction — to the internet.

The group, aged 15 to 22, staged their mass breakout by grabbing a duty supervisor when he was in bed and immobilising him in his quilt.

He shouted for help and they apologised before tying him up. They then made their way in groups of three to the home town of the leader of the group.

The addicts made their break from the Huai’an Internet Addiction Treatment Centre in eastern Jiangsu province last Wednesday, complaining that they could no longer endure its “monotonous work and intensive training”.

It is the latest incident to highlight the sometimes brutal techniques employed at camps across China to wean young people off the internet. A 15-year-old boy was beaten to death last year days after he was admitted to a camp. Last month a court sentenced two instructors to up to ten years in jail for the incident.

Can you believe it?

One mother wept at the police station when she described how her son once spent 28 consecutive hours playing online games.

Can you still believe it?

What happened to personal responsibility?  Work Ethics?

Heck, I would be disconnecting the wireless & wired routers, and taking them to work with me…  Let’s see Johnny get online then…

I do not like the way the chinese government is dealing with this, but I don’t think the parents are living up to their own personal responsibility in managing their own children.  They are the parents, let them PARENT.