Tokyo: A town in central Japan has sparked controversy after unveiling a proposal urging residents to limit smartphone use to two hours a day in an effort to curb online addiction and sleep deprivation.
Officials in Toyoake, a city of 69,000 in Aichi prefecture, said the measure would apply not only to children but also to adults, amid mounting concern over the physical and psychological effects of excessive screen time.
“The aim is to prevent excessive use of devices that can cause physical and mental health issues, including sleep problems,” Mayor Masafumi Koki said.
The Toyoake municipal assembly began discussing the draft ordinance this week, with a vote expected late next month. If passed, the non-binding rule would take effect in October. While the measure sets daily time limits, it carries no penalties for residents who exceed them.
Under the proposal, children aged six to 12 would be encouraged to stop using smartphones and tablets after 9 p.m., while teenagers and adults would be advised to put their devices aside after 10 p.m. The proposal has met with sharp criticism from locals and online users, many of whom dismissed the limits as unrealistic and intrusive.
Koki defended the proposal, stressing that it was not mandatory. “Smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life. But I hope this will be an opportunity for families to reflect on how and when they use them,” he said.
Authorities say the measure was drafted in response to growing behavioural problems linked to excessive device use, including school truancy and declining family interaction.
Koki said there was anecdotal evidence of adults staying glued to their phones late into the night instead of sleeping or spending time with their families. Japan has previously seen similar local initiatives. In 2020, Kagawa prefecture introduced a non-binding ordinance capping children’s video gaming to one hour on school days and 90 minutes during holidays.
According to a recent survey by Japan’s Children and Families Agency, young people now spend an average of just over five hours online each weekday.
