Source: CCTV.com

09-04-2006 14:22

Tao Hongkai ( 陶宏開 )

Tao Hongkai, Guest professor of Huazhong Normal University. Since May 2004, he has been given a lot of attention by the media. People think he is a magical professor who can cure internet addicted children after only several hours of talking with them. Is this true? This episode of Up-Close tells the story behind the true Tao Hongkai.

We first reviewed the cases that made Professor Tao’s famous, for example, the case of Qu Qian, the internet addicted girl who Professor Tao cured first, and Wu Qiong, the internet addicted boy who used to physically abuse his mother. Now, Wu Qiong is a volunteer fighting against internet addiction. You will hear about Professor Tao's success with these youths and how parents adore him.

Then, we discussed Professor Tao's approach in counseling internet addicted youth. Why can Professor Tao successfully counsel these youths, when they would not even speak with their own parents? The difference is that Professor Tao does not believe internet addicted children are bad children - he never blames them. Instead he listens carefully in order to understand each child's character and personality so he can adapt his approach and be more effective.

In our program, we analyze the social and family reasons that have led to the internet addiction problem. Professor Tao cannot fight internet addiction on his own - the sheer number of internet addicted children is daunting, and each child's healing process requires time. It is not magic. On his own, Professor Tao cannot cure a child. On a long-term basis, he must rely on the parents, the community, and society to help. Today he also uses a team of volunteers to help fight against internet addiction. Some volunteers in the studio audience voiced their opinions and concerns as well.

Tao shared his life experiences with us and also expressed his love for music, and his unique philosophy on the value of money…all of which has contributed to making him more successful in the fight against internet-addiction.

 

Editor:Wang Ping