A clinic for Facebook addicts has opened in Algeria amid fears vulnerable users are becoming brainwashed by extremist Islamist groups on the ‘blue magic’ social network.
The private facility has been opened in the eastern city of Constantine offering programmes specifically designed for social media users.
The clinic’s director, Human development scientist Raouf Boqafa, said he feared some vulnerable users were being targeted by Islamists who use the site as a recruitment tool.
He added: ‘There is some danger in underestimating the damage of Facebook addiction compared to the risk of physical drugs.
‘The idea came to limit the three effects of the addiction… to reduce the psychological, social, and security damage experienced by one who lives in the virtual world,’ he explained.
