Toyoake, a city of some 68,000 in central Japan, has implemented a rule that limits the use of smartphones, tablets, and video games to just two hours per day outside of school or work. The rule, drafted by Mayor Masafumi Kouki, is intended to fight growing truancy and what local politicians refer to as widening digital addiction among young people, the New York Times reported.
Is the rule enforceable?
The legislation, which was passed in a 12-7 vote by the city council, is symbolic. City officials have said that they will not monitor residents' phone use or penalize those who exceed the two-hour limit. Instead, the policy is expected to work through Japan's extremely strong social pressure culture, with officials hoping families simply cut back on screen time and spend more time sleeping or talking to one another.
Why was it introduced?
Mayor Kouki said he feared that the mobile phone had become too omnipresent in daily life, remembering how passengers on the train spend their ride glued to their phones rather than engaging with the world around them. With a two-hour cap, he aims to encourage decent sleep, family communication, and decent balance between virtual and real activities.
How do citizens react?
The proposal has caused controversy. More than 400 calls and messages had been received by city officials, with most negative. Local legislator Mariko Fujie, who voted against the bill, described it as "nonsense" and said it had no scientific basis and also ignored the rights of children. Citizens circulated petitions demanding the ordinance be repealed, and they claim it burdens families too much.
Is Toyoake leading the way?
Japan has had a chequered past of trying screen-time restriction experiments. In 2020, Kagawa Prefecture experimented with restricting children's use of video games and was met with lawsuits and large-scale protests. Japanese schoolchildren already spend five hours daily on their phone, national surveys report, so for the government to do such a thing would be dramatically ambitious and contentious.
What do parents think?
Parents see the rule as useful. Asami Sahara, whose son of five is her "heavy gamer," said she was pleased with the ordinance as a way of persuading her son to curtail weekend screen time. "Citizens should see how it goes rather than protest," she said, adding she could use the ordinance as leverage in teaching her son to put away his phone.
What's next?
Mayor Kouki has said that he sees this as the starting point for a national debate on digital balance in Japan. He even suggested future regulations, such as banning phone usage while on foot. For now, the ordinance is a symbolic but controversial attempt by a municipality to encourage healthier tech habits in a culture in which smartphones have become an unavoidable part of everyday life.
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