How long should you use smartphones a day? Japan’s Toyoake town proposes 2-hour limit

A Japanese town has urged its residents to limit their use of smartphones to two hours a day in a bid to battle online addiction and sleep deprivation, the evils of excessive screentime.

The new rules will not only be applied to children and teens but also to adults, as studies show the adverse effects of increased smartphone use on the psychological well-being of people of all ages, officials in Toyoake, Aichi prefecture, have said.

The town’s mayor, Masafumi Koki, said that the move aims at “preventing excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues … including sleep problems.”

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What will the rules be like?

The draft ordinance urges school children aged between six to 12 to put down their smartphones and other devices before 9 pm, while teens and adults are advised to avoid using their phones after 10 pm.

The Toyoake municipal assembly began discussions this week on a non-binding ordinance, with a vote expected late next month. If approved, the measure will take effect in October. However, it will not impose any penalties on those who exceed the proposed two-hour daily limit.

Officials say the proposal aims to tackle behavioural issues linked to excessive smartphone use, including truancy among children who struggle to part with their phones when heading to school.

Move triggers backlash

But the new draft proposal has not gone down well with the public, many of whom expressed their frustration on social media.

“I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on X. Another said: “Two hours isn’t even enough to read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone).”

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Governor Koki, responding to those concerns, noted that the time limit is not binding. “I hope it will be an opportunity for families to think about and discuss the time they spend on smartphones as well as the time of day the devices are used,” he added.