There's a problem common among Japanese teenage boys called hikikomori. Unable to unleash or vent their pubescent angst, they lock themselves in their room for weeks, even months at a time, doing who-knows-what and coming out only at night to raid the fridge. Mothers don't really know what to do, they're torn between wanting to help their kid but not knowing how and wanting to respect his space and privacy. So they leave pre-cooked meals in the kitchen and clean folded laundry outside the door.
In an effort to accommodate teenage hermits, Chiba Prefecture just approved the country's first cyber high school. The classes only require basic knowledge of how to use e-mail.
I really don't think this is a good solution to treating kids who have all kinds of emotional blockage, but at least it'll keep them busy. If I was a mom, though, I'd just buy my kid a DS Lite and Brain Age instead of paying for an expensive e-mail education.
aren't they called hikikomori?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 24, 2006 at 12:47 PM