A Japanese city is set to urge all its residents who use smartphones to limit their screen time to two hours a day outside of work or school. The proposed ordinance will have no penalties for non-compliance.
This limit, recommended for all residents in Toyoake City in central Japan, will not be legally binding. According to a statement by Mayor Masafumi Koki on Friday, the proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems.”
The draft ordinance advises elementary school students to avoid using smartphones after 9:00 p.m., while junior high students and older are advised to stop by 10:00 p.m. This move prompted an online backlash, with many users on social media platform X calling the plan unrealistic. One user wrote, “I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible.” Another commented, “In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone).” Others felt that the decision on smartphone usage should be left to individual families.
In response to the criticism, the mayor clarified that the two-hour limit is not mandatory and emphasized that the guidelines “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life.” The ordinance will be considered next week and, if passed, will come into effect in October.
This is not the first such initiative in Japan. In 2020, the western Kagawa region issued a similar ordinance, recommending that children limit gaming to one hour a day on weekdays and 90 minutes during school holidays. It also suggested that children aged 12 to 15 should not use smartphones past 9:00 p.m., with the limit for those aged 15 to 18 being 10:00 p.m.
A survey published in March by the Children and Families Agency found that Japanese youth spend an average of slightly over five hours a day online on weekdays.
