THERE is some irony in the news that China, the country behind every teen’s favourite social media app, is set to put time limits on the smartphones of its youngsters.

Under radical new proposed rules, eight to 16-year-olds would get up to one hour of screen time per day, while 16 to 18-year-olds would be restricted to just two hours.

The plans require smartphones to have a “minor mode” which bars children from using their phones between 10pm and 6am, in an attempt to make the ­internet a safer and less addictive ­environment for kids.

You could be forgiven for raising a wry smile that this move comes from the country that gave us TikTok, which ­consistently polls as the social media site teens love most.

China is also the leading exporter of smartphones.

And this communist state has been described as a “global disinformation superpower”, accused of spending billions globally to spread poisonous lies both on and offline.

But could they be on to something with these time limits? As we all now know, smartphones and social media are ­literally designed to be addictive.

It means that far too many of us are controlled by our phone rather than us controlling it.

And let’s be real, kids aren’t exactly known for their moderation.

Meanwhile, one in six young people in England experienced a mental health problem in 2020.