TOKYO — A city in central Japan will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties.

The limit — which will be recommended for all residents of Toyoake City — will not be binding and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, the draft ordinance says.

Japanese city proposes 2-hour daily smartphone limit

The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues... including sleep problems,” Mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday.

The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9 p.m., and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10 p.m.

The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic.

Japanese city proposes 2-hour daily smartphone limit

“I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X.

“In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another.

Others said smartphone use should be a decision for families to make themselves.

The angry response prompted the mayor to clarify that the two-hour limit was not mandatory, emphasizing that the guidelines “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life.”, This news data comes from:http://www.redcanaco.com

The ordinance will be considered next week, and if passed, it will come into effect in October.

In 2020, the western Kagawa region issued a first-of-its kind ordinance calling for children to be limited to an hour a day of gaming during the week, and 90 minutes during school holidays.

It also suggested children ages 12 to 15 should not be allowed to use smartphones later than 9 p.m., with the limit rising to 10 p.m. for children between 15 and 18.

Japanese youth spend slightly over five hours on average a day online on weekdays, according to a survey published in March by the Children and Families Agency.