Unemployed man, 26, is treated for an addiction to NETFLIX at a ‘digital rehab’ clinic in India
World’s first NETFLIX addict: Unemployed man, 26, goes into rehab after he spent seven hours a day on the app for six months straight
- Doctors in India said the man watched hours of Netflix to shut out reality
- The addiction led to eye strains, exhaustion and an erratic sleeping pattern
- It has not been revealed what shows the man binge-watched
An unemployed man is being treated for an addiction to Netflix at a ‘digital rehab’ clinic in India in a first of its kind case for the country.
Doctors in Bangalore said the 26-year-old began streaming films and TV shows to shut out reality by binge-watching shows for more than seven hours a day.
The severe addiction led to eye strains, exhaustion and an erratic sleeping pattern that wreaked havoc on the man’s health.
It has not been revealed what shows he watched.
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An unemployed man is being treated for an addiction to Netflix at a ‘digital rehab’ clinic in India in a first of its kind case for the country (stock image)
Netflix India features the usual US and European series as well as an array of Bollywood movies and Indian programmes.
The anonymous man is now under the care of doctors at a clinic at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience in Bangalore.
The rehab centre helps patients drug and alcohol problems, as well as addictions to technology, including gaming and social media.
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Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology at the clinic, said: ‘Whenever his family pressurised him to earn a living, or when he saw his friends doing well, he would watch the shows on offer continuously.
‘It was a method of escapism. He could forget about his problems, and he derived immense pleasure from it,’ he told The Hindu.
The man’s addiction was so severe that he would turn Netflix on the moment he woke up every morning, Dr Sharma revealed.
Doctors in Bangalore said the 26-year-old sunk began streaming films and TV shows to shut out reality by binge-watching shows for more than seven hours a day (stock image)
He added that once a show was playing man was unable to exercise any form of self control.
Doctors are using meditation and careers advice as well as traditional therapy to treat the man.
Streaming platforms are designed to provide instant gratification, prompting viewers to watch hours at a time to match their underlying moods, experts say.
Netflix in particular is famed for its ability to grip viewers, who frequently ‘binge-watch’ shows for hours at a time.
Figures suggest the average subscriber streamed 50 minutes of Netflix a day last year alone.
CEO Reed Hastings said in an earnings call last year: ‘You know, think about it, when you watch a show from Netflix and you get addicted to it, you stay up late at night.
‘You really – we’re competing with sleep, on the margin.’
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