Tencent sets limits for online gaming

All-night gaming marathons will soon end for some Chinese kids after internet giant Tencent began limiting daily playing times on its smartphone smash hit King of Glory on Tuesday to "ensure children's healthy development".

Young players will be restricted to one or two hours on the mobile online multiplayer battle game, which boasts 80 million daily users, as concerns grow in China that long periods online are posing a serious threat to the health of the country's youth.

Tencent, which ranks first in the world for gaming revenue, said in a statement that King of Glory was "supposed to bring joy ... but excessive gaming brings joy to neither players nor their parents".