The horrifying news has just emerged that a teenager who sold his kidney on the black market in order to buy an iPhone and an iPad is now bedridden for life.
Here's what we know...
The need for technology has reached a devastating new level.
The young man, known only as Shangkun, is believed to be from one of China's poorest provinces, and went to extreme lengths as a teenager to obtain money to buy 2 of Apple's most popular products.Now, this grim news may not come as a surprise to many of you...
Because, sadly, technology addictions have been fast on the rise throughout the last decade.It has become a major issue in many countries across the world.
With social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok booming in popularity, more and more people from the younger generation, in particular, are finding themselves becoming addicted to their devices.1 in 8 Americans suffer from problematic internet and technology use...
And the rates are even higher in many Asian countries, according to a study published by The International Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine.An estimated thirty percent or more of the Chinese population is classified as highly addicted to technology...
And, sadly, many have been known to go to extreme lengths to get their hands on the latest technological product.And this brings us back to Shangkun's tragic tale.
When he was seventeen, Shangkun wanted to buy an iPad 2 but, coming from one of the poorest provinces in China, he simply couldn't afford to do so.But, while browsing on the internet one day...
He received a message from an "organ harvester" in an online chatroom, who told him he could get 20,000 yuan ($3,000) for selling one of his kidneys.Desperate for the money, Shangkun unbelievably accepted the offer.
Recalling the situation to China Network Television, as per Vice, the young man said he underwent the illegal surgery in the central Hunan province to have his right kidney removed and delivered to an unknown recipient. The surgery was reportedly carried out by 2 doctors who were also employed at local hospitals.At the time, the teen asked himself:
"Why do I need a second kidney? One is enough." Following the sale, he used the money to buy an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4.Of course, his mother was immediately suspicious of her son's new gadgets.
According to the BBC, she said:
"When my son came home he had a laptop computer and an Apple phone. I asked him where all the money for that came from. When he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer he finally told us. He said, ‘Mom, I sold my kidney.’ When he told me I felt like the sky was crashing down on our family."