A city in central Japan is considering an ordinance that would urge residents to limit their daily smartphone and device use to two hours outside of work and school. The proposal has already stirred public criticism.
The draft ordinance, submitted Monday to the Toyoake municipal assembly in Aichi Prefecture, would apply to adults and children. It is believed to be the first attempt in Japan to recommend screen time restrictions for an entire city population.
Under the plan, elementary and younger students would be advised to stop using smartphones after 9 p.m. In comparison, junior high and older students would be urged to sign off by 10 p.m. Exceptions would be made for work, study, and household chores.
Mayor Masafumi Koki said the guidelines aim to prevent health problems linked to heavy device use, including sleep disorders. He stressed that the ordinance would not carry penalties and would serve only as a recommendation.
Still, the plan has sparked opposition. By Monday, the city said it had received about 110 public comments, with roughly 70% opposed. Online critics called the proposal unrealistic and overly intrusive.
“In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie on my smartphone,” one commenter wrote. Others argued that device use should be left to families and that smartphones have become essential tools for daily life.
Koki later clarified that the city was not trying to deny smartphones’ usefulness, saying they are “indispensable in daily life.”
Japan has experimented with screen-time guidelines before. In 2020, Kagawa Prefecture adopted an ordinance limiting children’s gaming to one hour on weekdays and 90 minutes on weekends. That measure was challenged in court but ultimately upheld.
The Toyoake assembly will debate the proposal in the coming weeks. If passed, it would take effect Oct. 1.
A March survey by Japan’s Children and Families Agency found that teenagers spend more than five hours online each school day on average, underscoring concerns about screen addiction that have fueled such initiatives.
