Angry responses have overwhelmed a decision to limit the daily use of smartphones by Japan’s Toyoake City local administration
Tokyo: Angry responses have overwhelmed a decision to limit the daily use of smartphones by Japan’s Toyoake City local administration.
In a proposed ordinance, the Japanese city has urged all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school.
The ordinance, however, said the “guideline” is voluntary and there will not be any penalty on those not obeying.
Toyoake City said the ordinance has been moved taking any consideration the health and other negative impact of excessive smartphone use, according to news agency AFP.
“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.
Outrage, Backlash
The decision has however sparked outrage across the city and outside.
“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”, wrote another.
Others said smartphone use should be a decision for families to make themselves.
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.
Not first of its kind
The ordinance will be considered next week, and if passed, it will come into effect in October.
Toyoake City’s decision to cap the mobile phone use, however, is not the first in Japan. In 2020, western Kagawa region in the country 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 aged 12 to 15 should not be allowed to use smartphones later than 9:00 pm, with the limit rising to 10:00 pm for children between 15 and 18, according to AFP.
Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.
Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
AloJapan.com