A concerned father in China recently took an unusual approach to solving his son's online gaming addiction: he hired skilled players as assassins to kill his son’s game character whenever he tried to play. The hired gamers (aka the assassins) were more highly skilled than the son, so they managed to rub him out frequently.

Dad was simply frustrated with his grown son, aged 23, for doing poorly in school and for not finding a job. The approach may have been unusual, but it seems to have spurred the grown gamer into action.

Unfortunately, Internet addiction is a real problem today. Internet Use Disorder has been suggested as a new diagnosis to add to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-V), though researchers are not recognizing it as a real mental illness just yet, saying that it needs to be studied more.

If your child seems to be 'hooked' to the internet, whether online gaming or browsing or apps or texting or social media, make sure there’s not an underlying cause that is making this retreat into a virtual world so appealing. Recent studies have linked excessive Internet use with depression, where the Internet acts as an escape from problems.

If the principle cause is boredom, help your child break the habit by providing other ways to keep occupied. Try a new book series. Sign up for a sport. Create a chore chart to get some help around the house. Be creative. Whatever works.

And of course, you could always try Net Nanny, which can limit the time your child spends playing online video games, or time spent online in general.