BEIJING — China has laid out minimum requirements on sleeping hours for children and teenagers to curb sleep deprivation, which can impair their growth and development, the Ministry of Education said at a press conference on April 2.

Primary-school pupils should get a minimum of 10 hours of sleep a day, while students at middle and high schools should sleep no less than nine and eight hours per day, respectively, said Lyu Yugang, an official with the ministry.

He was briefing on a circular about the country's latest efforts to improve the sleep quality of students receiving primary and secondary education.

The recommended bedtimes for students were listed too, being no later than 9:20 pm for primary-school pupils, 10:00 pm for middle-school students, and 11:00 pm for high-school students.

According to a survey conducted in the country's 10 provincial-level regions, primary-school pupils log an average sleep duration of 9.5 hours a day, while middle-school students log 8.4 hours, said Lyu, noting that the excessive curriculum burden has affected some students' sleep.

"Homework, off-campus counselling and video games must make way for students' quality sleep," said the official.

Education authorities will deploy technical means to make sure no video-game service is available to minors from 22:00 pm to 8:00 am, according to the circular.