Four out of 100 schoolchildren suffer from Internet addiction, a survey showed Wednesday.

According to the survey released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 4 percent, or 68,044, of 1.74 million students questioned had problems with overusing the Internet. The number is nearly 20,000 lower than that of last year.

The survey was conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology between March and April.

Those overusing the Internet broke down to 19,174 elementary students in fourth grade, 24,779 in the first year of middle school and 24,091 in the first year of high school.

Of the total, 16,714 were categorized as “seriously addicted,” while the rest were seen as “having the potential to become seriously addicted.”

The government and youth organizations will provide group counseling and treatment programs on the prevention of Internet addiction.

Especially for the seriously addicted, the organizations will conduct a special test to decide whether those students have other symptoms such as depression and ATTENTION deficit hyper activity disorder.

If the students are found to have such disorders, the government will provide intensive treatment programs and support for medical care. Addicted students will also receive regular counseling on Internet use for three to six months.

“National campaigns, including the online shutdown system, which limits teenagers under 16 from logging onto game sites from midnight to 6 a.m., have contributed to reducing the number of Internet addicted students,” said a family ministry official. “But for parents, it is still important to pay attention to their children and guide them to prevent Internet addiction.”