A 19-year-old is recovering in intensive care after cutting off his own hand in an attempt to cure his internet addiction.
The teen from Nantong, China — identified only by the last name, Wang — used a kitchen knife to sever his left hand, according to reports. He sneaked out of his house to avoid being found out by his parents and amputated the hand while sitting on a public bench.
Although doctors were able to reattach the hand, whether or not the boy will regain full mobility remains to be seen, reports the Daily Mail.
While this is certainly an extreme case, internet addiction is not an uncommon problem in Wang’s home country of China, where an estimated 24 million children are considered ‘web junkies’ and hundreds of military style boot camps have been set up to help cure the under-18 year-old of their addictions.
As for Wang’s parents, they were understandably shocked at his actions. “We cannot accept what has happened” his mom said “It was completely out of the blue. He [is] a smart boy.”
