GROWING addiction to the Internet has driven some schools in technology-savvy Singapore to call in psychiatrists to help stem the problem, a report said Mar 10.

A group of psychiatrists has been invited to make the rounds of some of the city-state's top schools to speak to teachers and parents on how to deal with their children's Internet habits, the Straits Times said.

Addiction to the Internet has grown in Singapore, one of the most wired countries in the world, rising from three cases a year five years ago to up as many as 80 cases annually now.

The report said Internet addicts often lose sleep, spend long hours surfing to the point of losing interest in their studies and spending less time with family and friends.

They also display similar withdrawal symptoms common to other forms of addiction such as to drugs and gambling.

The newspaper also carried a story about a 13-year-old boy who "struck his mother in the face" last year when he found her logged on to his computer at home.

He had suspected that his mother, who had brought some office work to be done at home, was prying into his Net surfing activities.

Parents were encouraged to seek the help of psychiatrists when they detect signs of addiction to the net, the report said.

Psychologist Brian Yeo was quoted in the newspaper as saying that not all children spendng long hours online are addicts.

Parents "must accept that the Internet, as a new mode of learning, is here to stay, and as long as their children use the Net within reasonable limits, they should be all right," he said.

Three out of five Singaporeans have access to the Internet