Children in China have been banned from playing online games for more than 1.5 hour a day or after 10pm.

Users under the age of eight have also been prohibited from playing games that require payment.

The rule was launched by Beijing this week in a bid to curb prevalent gaming addiction among the youth.

Children in China must spend less than 1.5 hours a day on gaming, a new rule says (file photo)

The news came after one province in the country this week announced its plan to make all children go to bed by 10pm - even if they haven't finished their homework.

More than 14 per cent of the country's minors, or 33 million of those under the age of 16, are found to be obsessed with the internet.

According to the regulation released on Tuesday, users younger than 16 will not be able to play games for more than an hour and a half a day on weekdays; or three hours a day at weekend or during official holidays.

Gaming between 10pm and 8am is strictly off limits for youngsters.

All online gamers must register their ID details with service providers before being allowed to play

Internet addiction is considered a clinical disorder in China and research shows that some 33 million youngsters under the age of 16 in the country are affected by it (file photo)

In addition, online entertainment firms must not allow users under the age of eight to play games that require cash payment.

For those between the age of eight and 16, a monthly top-up cap of 200 yuan (£22) and a single transaction limit of 50 yuan (£5.6) have been set.

Adult players will not be able to spend 400 yuan (£44.75) a month on the same game or 100 yuan (£11) each time.

The directive aims to crack down on gaming obsession of children and teenagers, according to a spokesperson from the country's General Administration of Press and Publication.

It is also set to prevent people from overspending on the entertainment, said the spokesperson.

Internet addiction is considered a clinical disorder in China, with an increasing number of young people choosing to ignore their studies, social lives and family to surf the web or play online games.

Young internet addicts can spend up to 17 hours online and even wear nappies so they do not have to take toilet breaks.

For those serious cases, the gaming fanatics are sent to military-style 'digital detox' boot camps to rid them of their dependency.

The country has more than 800 million internet users, and 29 million of them are under 10 years old, according to statistics.

The authority has also banned gaming between 10pm and 8am with the new rule (file photo)

A recent study reveals that nearly 70 per cent of children in the country have their own smartphones and nearly half of the children aged between seven and nine are given access to the Internet.

The worrying trend has caused health issues for the youngsters, especially short-sightedness.

A national vision report in 2015 said around 500 million Chinese - nearly half the population above five years old - suffer visual impairment. Among them, 450 million are near-sighted, and rates were rising. Many of the cases have been caused by excessive screen time.

Serious fascination with games has also seen some families' savings blown up after parents give their phones to their children to keep them quiet - without realising that they are playing games that require constant top-ups.

In February, one 11-year-old boy drained his grandfather's retirement funds by using the man's phone to tip live-streaming hostesses.

Last year, one girl, also 11, spent her parents' £12,000 life savings after using her mother's old phone to tip her favourite vloggers.