|
 Some
Finnish soldiers have had their terms of service shortened drastically
due to their obsession with the Internet. Doctors with the Finnish
Defense Forces have found some men miss their personal computers
so much they can't cope with their compulsory six-month stay
in the service.
In fact, a recruitment officer for the Finnish Defense Force went
so far as to call some of his soldiers "addicts." One
officer said serving in the Finnish Army is a big shock for younger
people who have few, if any, friends and are used to playing video
games and socializing on the Internet all night.
This specific group of soldiers who had the Internet "addiction"
went home and eventually served their term in the Finnish military
three years later.
Some 50,000 serve full-time in the Finnish army and about half
as many are drafted each year. Forty-four percent of Finland's
5.2 million people use the Internet daily.
BBC
News August 5, 2004
| 