Addiction of internet among youngsters has become a matter of concern for Chinese government. According to statistics, China has the world's largest online population at 253 million people. 

A top Chinese legislator said that about 10 percent of China's Web users under the age of 18, or four million people, were addicted to the Internet, mainly to "unhealthy" online games. 

According to media reports, China could become the first country to classify Internet addiction as a clinical disorder. Reports said that the health ministry is likely to adopt a new manual on Internet addiction next year drawn up by Chinese psychologists that recognises it as a condition similar to compulsive gambling or alcohol addiction.

Chinese doctors released the country's first diagnostic definition of Internet addiction. This definition was complied after study of more than 1,300 problematic computer users. This definition defines addicts as those persons who spend at least six hours online a day and have shown at least one symptom in the past three months. Symptoms of addiction included yearning to get back online, mental or physical distress, irritation and difficulty concentrating or sleeping.