Over 2.7m children addicted to computer

More than 2.7 million children in the country are addicted to video games, according to the latest estimates based on national surveys.
Until the second quarter of this year, the survey covered 20,000 children and suggests that as many as 15 percent of children are addicted to gaming. There are about 18 million children in the Thai population, according to official figures.
"Children with serious gaming addiction are aggressive and show a tendency to violence. Some have even been found to physically hurt your parents, suicide when excluded from the games," Assoc Prof Chanvit Pornnoppadol said yesterday at an event to launch the "Thai Children and It" project .
Chanvit, who works for the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, said that some gaming addicts also skipped classes and drew late last night to play games.
"They refuse to take part in school activities, become emotionally unstable, and show poorer academic performance," he said.
Children who developed serious kind of gaming addiction needs to be treated, Chanvit said, adding that between 30 and 40 children seek treatment each year.
"However, I believe that the number of children who need treatment are much higher than this," he said.
Speaking at the same event, Sura Techatat, consultant culture minister, acknowledged that IT technologies also have a negative side.
"We have to watch out for problems that may occur with our children and try to find solutions," he said.
Culture Ministry permanent secretary Gunteeya Preecha said the ministry was trying to provide children with more secure access to computer technology.
"We are also trying to increase their access to safe and enriching media sources," he said.