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A mum has warned of the dangers of young people being addicted to computer games and junk food after her overweight son died in his bed aged just 18.

By the age of 13, Shaun Appleby was diagnosed as obese.

Today his heartbroken mum Satish says her son's lifestyle should be a warning to others after he became a lover of junk food and sat at his computer for up to 10 hours a day.

"My message is for children to get out more, meet other kids, get more fresh air and get off their computers.

"It's not healthy to be on a computer for hours and hours every day," said mum-of-two Satish.

(Image: Chronicle Live)

"If this saves one child then Shaun's death is not wasted. It means Shaun has shone.

"No parent should be going through what I am."

Shaun, who wanted to be a games tester, was born in England and moved to Australia with his parents and big sister, Chloe, at the age of four.

After his parents spilt Shaun and his sister moved to Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, with their father and Shaun piled on the pounds when he got a taste for fast food.

At the age of 13 he weighed 16st 2lb and a doctor diagnosed him as obese, reports the Newcastle Chronicle.

But his weight continued to increase despite efforts to eat more healthily and take exercise.

Satish, 56, returned to Whitley Bay when Shaun was 14 and shared the parental role.

(Image: Chronicle Live)

But she says Shaun had low self-esteem and spent most of his life at his computer.

She said: "Shaun's downfalls were crisps, cola, chips and chicken nuggets from McDonald's and he also liked Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut.

"He loved swimming, he swam like a fish, and I started making him good natural food, but he would sneak snacks and hide sweets when he went out.

"When he was about 15 he looked like a Buddha."

Satish, a chef who ran a boutique B&B in Australia, says Shaun, a former pupil at Whitley Bay High School, was bullied because of his weight and found friends playing on Xbox Live - but he didn't have pals who he could go out with.

She said: "There are two types of kids these days, those who have six-packs and those who sit at their computers - many of whom hide behind their hair, have no confidence and have low self-esteem.

(Image: Chronicle Live)

"Kids spend too much time at their computers, Shaun did. He had low self-esteem and was obese.

"Shaun would be on his computer for up to 10 hours a day and on his iPhone in between.

"At his heaviest he was 125kg (19st 7lb) when he was 17, and had a 40in waist.

"He died at 18 and a half and he weighed 100kg (15st 7lb) and had grown to 6ft 2in.

"He was on the Slimming World programme and had just started to lose weight.

"He died when he was just getting into life. He was losing the weight.

"He had met a girl on the computer and was going to meet her in a couple of months' time. He was getting ready to attend a gaming seminar in London.

(Image: Chonicle Live)

"He was feeling better in himself because he was losing the weight and was growing into a man."

Shaun's routine was playing on his computer until about 3am, and he wouldn't wake up until after midday.

He spent up to 10 hours a day on the computer.

He died on February 26 and a coroner said Shaun died due to sudden adult death syndrome and that he also suffered from obesity.

Satish, who helped carry Shaun's coffin at his funeral, said: "He had gone to bed at about 4am and when he didn't wake up at around 4pm in the afternoon I went to wake him.

"He was frozen dead.

"That is so hard to come to terms with. I will mourn all my life for him. He was my heartbeat."