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Japanese City Proposes Two-Hour Daily Limit for Smartphone Use
The voluntary ordinance aims to reduce health risks linked to excessive device use, noting Japanese youth average over five hours online on weekdays, officials said.
- On Thursday, Toyoake City proposed the Ordinance Regarding the Promotion of Appropriate Use of Smartphones and the Like, recommending residents limit non-work and non-school smartphone use to two hours per day and plans to bring it to a city assembly vote next week.
- Officials cite health risks such as sleep disturbance, aiming to prevent excessive use of smartphones, personal computers and tablets harming health and family life, Mayor Masafumi Koki said.
- The draft specifies curfews urging elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00 p.m. and junior high students and older after 10:00 p.m., applying to all Toyoake City's roughly 68,000-plus residents; officials say this is likely Japan's first municipal smartphone limit.
- Responding to backlash, Mayor Masafumi Koki clarified the two-hour smartphone limit is not mandatory and the guidelines recognize smartphones' usefulness in daily life.
- The ordinance will be considered by the city assembly next week, with Toyoake planning to collaborate with tech companies, schools and community centers to encourage voluntary adherence while officials note the initiative builds on national efforts and attracts attention from Nigeria.
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The mayor points to the physical and mental health problems caused by the excessive use of smartphones.
·Paris, France
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A maximum of two hours of screen time per day is just a recommendation, but not everyone can fit a movie in that amount.
Aichi Prefecture, Japan, has issued recommendations to citizens of all ages to limit smartphone use to no more than two hours per day, in a bid to reduce physical and mental health problems.
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Total News Sources58
Leaning Left6Leaning Right15Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Right
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources lean Right
47% Right
L 19%
C 34%
R 47%
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