South Korea: A digital detox center for increasingly younger teenagers

In South Korea, the world's most connected country with 97% of its population using the internet daily, a digital detox center offers free services to troubled teenagers. Opened in 2014 in Anseong, it receives around thirty young people each month who are struggling with various forms of digital addiction.

Diverse profiles and multiple dependencies

The center treats addictions to online gaming, social media, and pornography. Fourteen-year-old Kim Tae testifies to having spent €2,500 on games like Roblox, unable to resist the paid progression systems. Nineteen-year-old Ga Hyun describes compulsively consuming pornography as soon as he wakes up.

A multidisciplinary approach

The program combines psychological support, meditation, and group activities like skipping rope to reduce stress. Psychologist Jang Jiwon explains that the method aims to identify the sources of distress and offer alternative sources of pleasure to the virtual world. Symptoms addressed include isolation, anxiety, and emotional difficulties.

A phenomenon that rejuvenates

Shim Yong-chul, the center's director, has observed a worrying trend: addiction is now affecting elementary school students, whereas previously it mainly concerned middle and high school students. In response to this trend, the center plans to open its programs to children aged 10 to 12. A pilot project has already been launched.

To learn more about this South Korean device, see the full report.

Source: REPORT. "Bringing pleasure beyond the virtual world": In South Korea, a digital detox center welcomes increasingly younger teenagers , Franceinfo

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