How much is a life worth? In China, apparently about $US120,000. That’s how much the family of a 19-year-old young woman received after she died at an internet addiction camp earlier this year.
Chinese internet website iFeng.com reports that the family of the young woman, surnamed LingLing, will be given compensation for her death amounting to about $US120,000. The family’s also reported to get their tuition refunded and a one time payment of $US58,000.
Earlier this year in May, LingLing passed away in a hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan province. It was reported by the Chinese media that she actually died before reaching the hospital. LingLing was reported to be attending Zhengzhou Boqiang New Idea Life Training School.
While at addiction camp, LingLing was singled out by her instructors. She was reportedly taken to “extra” lessons on more than one occasion. According to another girl that attended the addiction camp, LingLing was singled out.
According to the media and government reports, LingLing was beaten and dropped onto hard surfaces. The Zhengzhou coroners office reported that LingLing died from extreme head trauma.
China is one of the few places in the world that officially believes in internet addition. In the last decade, internet addiction camps have sprung up across the country.These camps are more often than not a form of bootcamp.
Conditions at these camps differ across the country, but it’s been reported on more than one instance that these camps abuse their wards.
In the wake of LingLing’s untimely death, the issue of internet addiction is once again at the forefront of internet conversations in China. The five administrators and teachers involved in LingLing’s death are currently awaiting trial. The Zhengzhou Boqiang New Idea School has had its licence revoked.
上厕所没报备 老师要整她 [iFeng]
郑州搏强学校：是培训还是摧残 [JYB.cn]
郑州少女”加训死”调查:审批部门无一人被追责 [ChinaNews via NetEase]
Teen death at addiction center stirs controversy [China Daily]
China’s cure for teenage internet addiction is worse than the supposed disease[Quartz]
Comments
5 responses to “Family Of Dead Internet Addict Compensated $120,000”
Jesus Christ! I was expecting some story about someone doing a 72 hour lan event without eating or drinking.
communism – the new world order
The cure for internet addiction is getting beaten up? Sounds like somebody mixed up treatment with Russel Crowes “Fighting round the World”.
I think they are going for the “break a person down to nothing the rebuild them from the ground up” approach. They do this in the army in order to try soldiers.
While that might be a good way to treat addiction, I seriously doubt you need to beat a person repeatedly in order to break them.
“China is one of the few places in the world that officially believes in internet addition.”
The addition of internet to my life was rather good, so I too am all for it.