Chinese children and teens will be cut off from accessing the internet at night under rules aimed at fighting internet addiction.

Under the restrictions unveiled on Wednesday following a public consultation, anyone under the age of 18 will be cut off from accessing the internet on a device from 10pm to 6am.

A tiered system for managing smartphone usage time will also be imposed when the restrictions come into force on September 2.

There will be a maximum of 40 minutes of usage a day for those under the age of eight, to two hours for 16 and 17-year-olds.

The new rules — proposed by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) — are some of the most stringent in the world.

Parents will be able to bypass them if they wish, however.