Meet the teen who chopped off his own hand to get rid of internet addiction

A Chinese teenager was rushed to hospital after he took a drastic measure and cut off his own hand in an attempt to cure his internet addiction.

The 19-year-old boy from Nantong in the Jiangsu, known only as "Little Wang," reportedly used a kitchen knife, and chopped off his hand while sitting on a public bench, the Mirror reported.

He had left a note for his mother which said "Mum, I have gone to hospital for a while, don't worry. I will definitely come back this evening."

After he cut his left arm at the wrist and left the hand lying on the ground, he called a taxi to take him to a nearby A and E. Thankfully the surgeons at the local university hospital were able to reattach the hand which was recovered by police.

However, they were unable to assure if he would regain full mobility.

According to official figures, China currently has about 24 million "web junkies," and Tao Ran, an army psychologist who runs a well-known Beijing rehab centre for internet addicts, estimated around 14 percent of China's young people were addicted and did only two things "sleeping and playing.