The Register: China shuts 8,600 cybercafes

8,600 Internet cafes shuttered their doors in the past two months, forced to close by local licensing commissions. The Chinese government warned that the Internet could harm the "mental health of teenagers" and spread "unhealthy online information."

With a nod to Clinton-era anti-gun laws, the government mandated that cybercafes would not be allowed to set up in residential areas or within 200 meters of schools. Reminiscent of 50's-era public health films, the minister of culture cited a case where two youths were crushed by a train as they slept on tracks after spending two days hours at a cybercafe.