Mental health clinic treats children for cellphone addiction

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 21st 2008 at 8:52PM

Not like we haven't seen individuals diagnosed with cellphone addiction before, but two kids in Spain were so badly obsessed with their mobiles that they weaseled money from relatives to buy more airtime, began to fail classes and eventually wound up in a mental health clinic. The kids, aged 12 and 13, were reportedly spending around six hours per day talking, texting or playing games, presumably making them the perfect candidates for Sprint's Simply Everything plan. All jesting aside, doctors in the institution suggest that it could take a full year to wean them off of the "drug," as they each have become practically incapable of living a "normal" life without constantly interfacing with their handsets. Ai caramba.

[Image courtesy of PocketPicks]

Filed under: Misc

Tags: addicted, addition, child, children, clinic, Culture, health, mental, mobile phone addiction, MobilePhoneAddiction, spain, uk

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Chris McDowell @ Jun 21st 2008 10:15PM

bunch of crazies.

Neutral

TheGasMan @ Jun 21st 2008 10:15PM

Is anyone else terrified by the sight of these two girls? Especially the one on the right?

"presumably making them the perfect candidates for Sprint's Simply Everything plan."
Haha, good one

Highest Ranked

Jake H. @ Jun 21st 2008 10:59PM

as far as i'm concerned, lock them up for a year, and let them go into cellular withdrawal. and put a really nice phone in a plexiglass case in their cell just to make it worse.

Neutral

xor24 @ Jun 21st 2008 11:17PM

i totally as for the phone maybe a 3G iPhone u could something similiar with and this PC http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/20/asus-ares-cg6155-gaming-pc-4-0ghz-qx9650-geforce-gtx280-bragg/

Neutral

Robert @ Jun 22nd 2008 8:31AM

I'm not surprised in the least. Countries are constructing special "poles' on the sidewalk for people who are texting furiously and walking mindlessly at the same time; People are driving (w/ no hands) and texting at the same time (idiots, lol). Hell, .... they already have real legitimate Crackberry anonymous groups. Think about like this ... there's a thin line between like, love, and addiction. Devices are becoming more and more advance to whereas you can do literally (multiple) or anything simultaneously with minimal effort on your part.
I wouldn't blame the girls excusively for being "addicted" (if that's truly the case), neither the devices using. I wonder if they were using crackberries.. hmmm. Let me be the first to say, I will not be surprised (in the least) if and when 'Iphone Anonymous" groups are formed for Iphone junkies, lol.

Neutral