Written by Lan 2022 Cohort
In China, there is a person who claims to be able to cure teenagers’ Internet addiction in four months, attracting many parents to flock to him; that is Yang Yongxin from the Fourth People’s Hospital of Linyi City, Shandong Province. He uses electroshock therapy. However, his method is more like torture than the so-called treatment. Whenever he encountered a disobedient child in the hospital bed, he would continuously increase the current until the child was willing to give in. The child becomes incredibly submissive under the shock, and this is how the treatment works in the eyes of the parents. Yang also sets stringent rules for the children who come for treatment. These children are heavily controlled; they are not allowed to contact outsiders, the dormitory door is never locked, and if they are found to have violated the rules, they will be fined a considerable amount.
Since its opening, the center has received nearly 1,000 Internet-addicted teenagers. As its reputation grows, Yang no longer accepts only teenagers with Internet addiction but extends the scope to people of all ages with problems. Some couples quarrelled, and the woman would send the disobedient man to this treatment center. As a result, the boyfriend surprisingly became a different person and began to obey the girlfriend. Some teenagers are not addicted to the Internet but exhibit adolescent rebellion, and after their parents send them here, they get a well-behaved and obedient child.
But people only see the results that Yang Yongxin delivers to everyone, never bothering to ask about the torture and destruction that the people receiving treatment receive here. On the surface, Yang Yongxin is using electroshock therapy, but he is taking advantage of people’s inner fear. They have to be careful every day in the Internet addiction treatment center, for fear that if they don’t behave well, they will be sent to the electric shock. The real life of those who successfully go out of treatment is also very much affected; some even dare not turn off the lights at night, and many others even have intermittent trance, amnesia, and other sequelae.
It is not only Yang Yongxin who caused harm to these Internet-addicted teenagers, but also their parents. If Yang is the one who holds the knife to hurt them, then their parents are the ones who pass the knife. The ignorance of these parents pushes their children into the abyss, leaving indelible scars on their psyche. I hope all parents understand that there is no shortcut to educating children; only effective communication and sincere love are the most fundamental.