The phone rang, and I could see from the number that it was an overseas call. On the line were two parents, worried about their 21-year-old son whom they claimed was addicted to the computer.
“What do you mean ‘addicted to the computer?’ ” I asked.
“17 hours a day every day for the past year,” his mother replied in despair.
Her son took the receiver and said, “Rabbi, my parents are in a state of panic for no reason. I’m not addicted to the computer. It’s true that sometimes I sit several hours straight playing games, but these are interactive games with players from all over the world, and you know it’s impossible to stop in the middle.”
I suggested they come to Israel to meet with me. Three days later, we were sitting together in my office. The parents sat together to my right, their son sat alone to my left. Both sides repeated their claims, trying to convince me they were right. I turned my chair in the direction of the parents, excluding the boy from the conversation. “I’m sorry, but you may not like what I’m going to tell you. I’m not sure your son is addicted to the computer.”
The parents were obviously surprised and disappointed. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see their son relax, stretch his legs out, and exhale.
“But,” I continued, “in order for you to understand what I mean, let’s do a simple experiment. Disconnect your son’s computer for two weeks, and let’s see if he—”
I never got to finish my sentence. The boy lunged at me, grabbing my throat with both hands, and yelled, “Don’t you dare!”
I gently removed his hands from my throat and asked, “Does anyone have a camera?”
The boy sat down in his chair and held his head in his hands. “When can I start treatment?” he asked.
excerpted from It’s Your Move by Rabbi Eitan Eckstein
