The city of Toyoake in Aichi Prefecture has unveiled a draft ordinance urging residents to limit smartphone use to two hours a day outside of work or school. The proposed measure, however, carries no penalties and will not be legally binding.
According to Toyoake Mayor Masafumi Koki, the initiative aims to address health concerns linked to excessive device use, including sleep disorders and other physical and mental health issues.
The draft guidelines also suggest elementary school students avoid smartphone use after 9 p.m., while junior high school students and older should refrain from use after 10 p.m.
The proposal sparked widespread criticism online, with many users calling the two-hour limit unrealistic.
“I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one social media user wrote on X. Another commented, “In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone).” Others argued that such restrictions should be left to families to decide.
In response to the backlash, Mayor Koki clarified that the rules are not mandatory, stressing that the guidelines “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life.”
The ordinance will be deliberated next week, and if passed, it will take effect in October.
A similar precedent was set in 2020 when the Kagawa Prefectural Government introduced Japan’s first ordinance limiting children’s gaming and smartphone use, recommending one hour of gaming on weekdays, 90 minutes on holidays, and curfews on smartphone use based on age.
Meanwhile, a March survey by the Children and Families Agency revealed that Japanese youth spend slightly over five hours a day online during weekdays on average.
