China's ministry of health has moved to ban the use of physical punishment to treat teenagers addicted to the web, according to draft guidelines.
There are dozens of treatment centres offering to wean youths, mostly boys, from spending hours on the web.
Many of them are military-style boot camps that rely on tough programmes of physical exercise and counselling.
Two boys were beaten at separate camps earlier this year, one died and the other was severely injured.
"When intervening to prevent improper use of the internet we should... strictly prohibit restriction of personal freedom and physical punishments," the ministry said in a draft guideline quoted by Reuters news agency.
In July, the ministry of health formally banned the use of electroshock therapy as a treatment option.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8344002.stm