In a proposed rule with no fines, a Japanese city will encourage all smartphone users to keep their screen time to no more than two hours each day outside of work or school.
The draft legislation states that there would be no consequences for increased usage and that the limit, which is advised for all residents of Toyoake City in central Japan, will not be legally obligatory.
In a statement released on Friday, Mayor Masafumi Koki stated that the idea intends “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems.”
The draft recommends that junior high school kids and older refrain from using their smartphones after 10:00 p.m., while elementary school pupils should refrain from using them after 9:00 p.m.
Many criticized the proposal as impractical in the internet uproar that followed the move.
On social media site X, a member commented, “I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible.”
Another commented, “I can’t even watch a movie or read a book on my smartphone in two hours.”
Others said that families should decide for themselves whether or not to use smartphones.
The mayor clarified that the two-hour limit was optional in response to the outraged response, stating that the rules “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indipensable in daily life.”
Next week, the ordinance will be discussed; if approved, it will take effect in October.
In 2020, a first-of-its-kind regulation was enacted in the western Kagawa region, limiting children’s gaming time to one hour per day during the week and ninety minutes during the school vacations.
Additionally, it recommended that minors between the ages of 12 and 15 be prohibited from using smartphones after 9:00 p.m., with the age limit for those between the ages of 15 and 18 being raised to 10:00 p.m.
On weekdays, Japanese youth use the internet for just over five hours on average, according to a March Children and Families Agency poll.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
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