The ministry also recently banned the use of shock treatment for internet addiction after accounts appeared online of the practice at a hospital in eastern Shangdong province. Staff at the notorious hospital tied down subjects and forced them to admit faults while receiving shocks for up to 30 minutes at a time, according to posts in online forums by people claiming to have received the treatment.

It also called for parents to cultivate relations with their children by spending time with them and to pay attention to what their children do online.