Toyoake City to implement two-hour smartphone limit for residents

TOYOAKE: In an innovative move to address rising concerns over extreme screen time, the city of Toyoake in Aichi Prefecture has introduced a viral draft ordinance endorsing that residents limit their daily smartphone use to two hours outside of work and school commitments.

Mayor Masafumi Koki publicised the proposal during a plenary session of the city assembly, highlighting that the ordinance is unenforceable and carries no legal or financial penalties. “This is not about enforcement, it’s about encouraging better digital habits,” Mayor Masafumi Koki stated.

The viral ordinance also includes screen time guidelines according to the users’ age, directing elementary school children to stop device use by 9:00 p.m., and middle school students and older by 10:00 p.m.

These recommendations are compatible with national sleep health guidelines, and their purpose is to reduce the physical and mental health risks related to lengthy device exposure.

If the ordinance gets approved, the new rule will start on October 1, 2025, making Toyoake the first city in Japan to suggest limits on screen time for everyone.

This idea comes after a survey by Japan’s Children and Families Agency in March 2025, which found that young people in Japan use smartphones, tablets, and computers for more than five hours a day on weekdays.

Some people are debating the proposal online, with some saying that the two-hour limit is not practical. However, Mayor Koki explained that the goal of the rule is to encourage families to talk about screen time and promote responsible use of devices, not to take away personal freedoms.

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