Hooked On The Internet, South Korean Teens Go Into Digital Detox
Online gaming and other digital activities cause problems in people's health, relationships and studies. Government centers treat teen boys and girls who struggle to cut down on use of tech devices.
South Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world. But that level of connectivity is a double-edged sword in a society that some experts say is becoming increasingly addicted to the Internet and where 95% of adults own a smartphone.
"Korea has an environment that allows easy access to computer games and other activities online," says Sungwon Roh, a psychiatrist at Seoul's Hanyang University who studies Internet addiction. "You can connect to your smartphone anywhere. Every neighborhood has what we call a 'PC bang' or, in English, PC café. Here, Koreans of all ages can access the Internet very easily."
And those PC bangs are often shiny places with big, comfy chairs, huge screens and fast Internet, all for about
