A rising number of young Internet addicts from South China's Guangdong Province have caught another kind of computer virus - suffering a host of physical and mental symptoms from headaches to difficulty concentrating in class, according to a recent survey.

The survey shows that over 80 per cent of college students have experienced the "computer and internet syndrome" consisting of neck, back and shoulder pains, eye strains, tiredness, headaches and difficulty in concentrating in class after prolonged computer use.

Wu Yilong, a doctor from the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, said students are more vulnerable to the syndrome because they have become more dependent on computers and Internet for studying or gaming.

"An increasing number of students are now seeking medical help for eye strain, headache, as well as other symptoms," Wu said recently in an interview with China Daily.

According to Wu, most of these students caught the syndrome because they are usually hooked on computers or the Internet for hours per day.

The survey, conducted by the Education Department of Guangdong Province, interviewed some 2,500 students in six universities based in the province.

It also shows that nearly half of the students have personal computers.

Meanwhile, some of "computer or internet syndrome" students, in Wu's opinion, normally lack self-discipline, have problems getting along with family members and friends, or are trying to avoid facing failures and frustration in life.

"Compared with the real society, they turn to the virtual world on Internet for comfort and gradually become more reluctant to face life," Wu said.

Wu said such addiction would in the long run cause insomnia and headaches. In the worst cases, it could cause delirium and could undermine students' mental and physical health.

The survey indicates that half of the students interviewed could not concentrate in classes or are easily distracted by noise and setbacks in life and studies.

In addition, more than 20 per cent of students often feel heavy burdens from life and school, the survey shows.

Luo Feng, who was in charge of the survey, said that some students could not go on studying without computers or logging onto Internet.

"Internet has become an important studying tool for today's students," Luo said. "However, heavily using computers may lead to negative effects for them," said Luo.

The survey also indicates that more than 60 per cent of students often visit various websites to search information for their studies.

(China Daily September 19, 2005)