Japanese city limits phone use to 2 hours daily
The assembly of a central city in Japan passed an ordinance on Monday recommending that residents limit to two hours a day their use of smartphones, video game consoles and other devices outside work and school.
But the ordinance enacted in the city of Toyoake, in Aichi Prefecture, imposes no penalties.
It is still the first regulation of its kind in Japan. The ordinance, which takes effect on Oct. 1, comes amid concerns over the impact of excessive technology exposure, especially among children.
Under that law, elementary schoolchildren are urged to refrain from using their smartphones after 9 p.m., while junior high school and older students have the leeway to use their devices after 10 p.m.
Guardians, meanwhile, are tasked to set household rules on phone use.
Sleep guidelines
“Sufficient sleep is essential for physical and mental growth” for children under 18, according to the ordinance.
Toyoake Mayor Masafumi Kouki said the sleep guidelines are based on the findings of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare—which calculated the average weekday usage time and concluded that phone usage exceeding two hours may cause sleep deprivation.
The city aims to establish a consultation system with the schoolchildren’s parents.
