Germany

In Germany, an Internet addiction boot-camp was organised and they aim to get children and teenagers who spend too much time on the internet out of their bedrooms and into the sunshine. Children at the camp are encouraged to spend as much time as possible outdoors and daily computer allowance is curtailed from as long as 6 hours to 30 minutes. Many of the children who attend are self-confessed addicts who use the web and computer games for up to six hours a day to escape boredom.

Moritz Moeller, 13, said: "It was fun playing on the computer, because I was bored. My friends had no time for me; I think I was probably a computer addict."

The first camp of its kind in Germany aims to wean children like Moeller off computers by giving them alternative outlets to channel their energy into, such as reading and exercise. Supervisors take the children to the beach every day, where they swim and do aerobics before sitting down to a healthy lunch of salad. Camp organisers say diet and exercise are key aspects of the camp's philosophy because children who sit in front of computers all day tend to eat badly and not move away from their seats often.

Children who attend the camp say they feel much happier by the end of it and many pledge to limit the amount of time they will spend on their computers once they return home.

The teenagers and children (accompanied by their parents) are totally cut off from the Internet