Computer Junkies Go to Rehab

Internet addiction is such a big problem in the obsessively wired country of South Korea that the government has launched an “Internet Rescue” camp for young men, The New York Times reports. At the tuition-free Jump Up Internet Rescue School – which could be the first of its kind in the world – campers can’t use computers for their 12-day stay.

The schedule includes exercise and group activities like horseback riding. “It is most important to provide them experience of a lifestyle without the Internet,” a counselor says. “Young Koreans don’t know what this is like.” It’s not yet clear if the camp successfully pulls young men away from their computers. But camp administrators say they’re getting four to five applications for every opening. (More internet stories.)