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NEED TO KNOW
- A city in Japan is attempting to limit residents’ smartphone use
- The government of Toyoake is debating a non-binding ordinance that would encourage citizens to limit using their smartphones to two hours per day
- The proposal comes amid growing concerns over the impacts of smartphones and screen tablets on mental health
A city in Japan is attempting to limit smartphone usage.
The government of Toyoake, a city in the center of the country, is debating a non-binding ordinance that would urge residents to cap their smartphone use at two hours per day, per the BBC.
The ordinance would not be enforced by law, but it is intended to encourage residents to use their phones and tablets less.
“The two-hour limit … is merely a guideline … to encourage citizens. This does not mean the city will limit its residents’ rights or impose duties,” the city’s mayor, Masafumi Koki, said in a statement, per the BBC.
He added, “I hope this serves as an opportunity for each family to think about and discuss the time spent on smartphones as well as the time of day the devices are used.”
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While the mayor recognized that smartphones are “useful and indispensable in daily life,” he also stated that the devices have been shown to cause issues with students in school, as well as affect healthy sleep patterns in children and adults, per the BBC.
If the vote passes, the ordinance would take effect in October, per the outlet.
The current draft of the ordinance encourages children between the ages of 6 and 12 to avoid using phones and tablets after 9 p.m. Teens and adults are urged to stop using their devices by 10 p.m., per The Guardian.
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The proposal has already received some pushback among residents.
The local government received 83 calls and 44 emails regarding the ordinance between Aug. 21 and Aug. 25, and approximately 80% of those calls and emails expressed negative sentiments, per Japanese newspaper The Mainichi.
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PEOPLE reached out to the Toyoake municipal government for comment on Friday, Aug. 29, but did not receive an immediate response.
The proposed ordinance comes amid growing concern about the potential harmful effects of smartphone use — especially among children. A study published in the Journal of the Human Development and Capabilities in July found that smartphone use among children under 13 can damage mental health.
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In 2023, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a landmark advisory regarding the impact of social media, stating that it can “have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”
