Toyoake proposes two-hour smartphone limit and kids curfews

A central Japan city has proposed an ordinance urging residents to limit recreational smartphone use to two hours a day outside of work and school, in what local officials say is aimed at addressing the health and social effects of excessive screen time. The draft measure, submitted by Toyoake city in Aichi Prefecture, would also recommend evening cutoffs for children, with elementary school students advised to stop using devices after 9 p.m. and junior high students and older asked to put devices away by 10 p.m. The city says the guideline would carry no penalties if breached and would take effect if approved by the local assembly on Oct. 1.

City officials described the measure as a public-health and family-wellbeing initiative rather than a legal restriction. "We want the ordinance to provide an opportunity for people to think about how they use smartphones," an official said. Mayor Masafumi Koki emphasized that the proposal is intended to encourage discussion within families, saying the guideline "does not mean the city will limit its residents rights or impose duties" and that smartphones remain "useful and indispensable in daily life." The mayor added that some uses, such...