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Two Spanish Children Institutionalized for Cell Phone Addiction

by Tim Stevens on June 13, 2008 at 10:36 AM

Two Spanish Children Institutionalized for Cell Phone Addiction
Here in the U.S., the practice of sending troubled kids to institutions for mental problems has seemed to lose favor in recent years. American kids with issues seem to either be coddled by parents who act like there's no problem, or they're shuffled onto the stage for an episode of 'Dr. Phil' and a dose of tough love. Things are handled a little differently in Spain, where two kids have been sent to a mental health facility because of their dependence on cell phones.

The children, aged 12 and 13, were diagnosed with addiction and sent away to the Child and Youth Mental Health Centre in Lleida, not far from Barcelona. Their school grades were flagging and both showed "disturbed behaviour" that resulted in their having "serious difficulties leading normal lives" when separated from their phones. That actually sounds like perfectly normal behavior to us -- perhaps we'll cancel that summer outing to Valencia we've been planning. [Source: BBC News]

Tags: addiction, breaking news, BreakingNews, spain

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