The town that wants to put a time limit on smartphone use

A town in Japan wants to limit the amount of time people spend on their smartphone to two hours a day.

The idea is currently being debated by lawmakers, but if it was passed it would come into effect in October for the 69,000 residents living in Toyoake, in Aiche.

The two-hour limit would only apply to phone use outside of work or study time, according to the mayor of Toyoake, Masafumi Koki.

The mayor also said there would be no punishment for breaking the rules, and that the "The two hour limit... is merely a guideline... to encourage citizens," to help manage their screen time.

"This does not mean the city will limit its residents' rights or impose duties," said Mayor Masafumi Koki.

"Rather, I hope this serves as an opportunity for each family to think about and discuss the time spent on smartphones as well as the time of day the devices are used."

The mayor said he recognised that smartphones were "useful and indispensable in daily life" but pointed out that some students were missing school because they refused to leave home without their phone, and that some adults were tired the next day due to staying up late scrolling on their phones.

The idea also included primary school children, and younger, avoiding using smartphones or tablets after 9pm, while teenagers and adults were encouraged to stop using devices after 10pm.

Activities such as watching videos while cooking or exercising, online learning and practicing for an e-sports tournament would not count towards the two hours, the mayor added.

The potential new law has received a mixed reaction from people in the town, with some people supporting it and others against it.

More than 120 people in the town called and emailed local authorities to give their opinions on the potential new law, with the large majority (80%) not happy about the idea - according to Japanese news outlet Mainichi.

This isn't the first time a Japanese town has introduced screen-time limits, back in 2020 the prefecture of Kagawa limited screentime for children under the age of 18 to one hour a day on weekdays and an hour and a half a day on weekends.

What do you think about a screen limit for a whole town? Do you think it is a good idea? Would you prefer to manage your own time? Do you think people use their phones too much? Or do you find phones useful?