A boot camp intended to cure teenagers of 'internet addiction' instead killed one, it was reported today.
The Wall Street Journal picked up a story from Global Times in China that said Deng Senshan, 16, had been beaten to death by supervisors at Guangxi Qihang Survival Training Camp on Saturday.
Deng was targeted by trainers at the camp after been told off for running too slowly, said the boy's father.
Boot camps addicted to violence
Although 'internet addiction' is not a widely recognised medical condition, boot camps for troubled teenagers are widespread in China. Many offer a paramilitary environment of intense physical exercise and strict discipline.
Global Times notes that the camp's mission statement says, "Our methods are tough but do not include torture or other methods that might damage a child's health." Despite this, Deng was placed in solitary confinement shortly after arriving and was later beaten to death.
Three trainers at the camp have been detained by local police, while Deng's parents are calling for the boot camp to closed immediately. They had paid the clinic 7000 yuan (£600) for Deng's month-long stay at the camp.
In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese health officials in Shandong province ordered an 'internet addiction' clinic to stop using electric shocks as punishments on its young clients.
