Japanese City Proposes 2-Hour Daily Smartphone Limit

AUG 28 2025·Updated AUG 29 2025

Story

Above: A Japanese college student using the internet on a smart phone. Image credit: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

The Toyoake Municipal Government in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, submitted a bill on Monday to create an ordinance urging all residents to limit daily smartphone use to two hours outside of work and study time.
Nippon
Asian Lite
The proposed ordinance recommends that elementary school children avoid smartphone use after 9 p.m. and junior high school students and older ones avoid use after 10 p.m., with no penalties for violations.
The Japan Times
Mainichi
Mayor Masafumi Koki stated the proposal aims to prevent excessive device use causing physical and mental health issues, including sleep problems, and to address truancy among children dependent on smartphones.
The Japan Times
Nippon
BBC News
Between Aug. 21 and noon on Monday, the city reportedly received 83 phone calls and 44 emails with feedback, with approximately 80% expressing negative sentiments about the proposed ordinance.
guardian
Mainichi
The ordinance represents the first statute in Japan to suggest a screen time cap for all residents in a municipality, following a 2020 Kagawa Prefecture ordinance that limited children's gaming time.
The Japan Times
NHK
Japanese youth spend an average of slightly over five hours a day online on weekdays, according to a March survey by the Children and Families Agency, while the bill is scheduled for a vote on Sept. 22.
Mainichi
Asian Lite
UPI

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

This ordinance addresses a real crisis affecting families across Japan. Kids are skipping school because they can't put down their phones, and adults are sacrificing sleep and family time for endless scrolling. The two-hour guideline provides much-needed structure.

Mainichi

BBC News

Narrative B

Government overreach has no place in personal device choices. Besides, this proposal ignores the real issue: It's not the screen itself that's the problem, it's what's happening behind it. Families can manage screen time without municipal interference.