Aichi's Toyoake City Proposes "Smartphone Use Limited to 2 Hours a Day"—What Will This Non-Penal "Guideline Ordinance" Change?

1. What's Happening: Key Points of the Ordinance Proposal

• Target: All citizens of Toyoake City, regardless of age.

• Content: Encourage limiting the use of smartphones and similar devices during leisure time, excluding work, school, study, and household chores, to within 2 hours a day as a "guideline." No penalties.

• Consideration Before Bedtime: Elementary school students are advised to refrain from use after 9 PM, and junior high school students and older after 10 PM.

• Schedule: To be submitted to the city council on August 25, 2025. If approved after deliberation, it is expected to be enacted in October 2025.

• Objective: To curb "overuse" to prevent mental and physical disorders, including sleep disturbances.
  These are based on the **"Toyoake City Ordinance Proposal on the Promotion of Proper Use of Smartphones and Other Devices"**, city explanatory materials, and reports from various media outlets.Toyoake City Official WebsiteNipponTom's Hardware

"2 hours" is a guideline for "leisure time"

To avoid misunderstandings, the city clarifies that the 2-hour target applies to "leisure time" and does not include the following.

• Commuting time

• Referencing recipes/training videos during chores/exercise

• Online learning

• eSports practice (considered similar to other sports)
  
  This arrangement aims to provide a "guideline" without denying the convenience of private life.Toyoake City Official Website

2. Background: Concerns About Long Usage and Its Impact on Health and Learning

The city is concerned about the link between excessive digital use and mental and physical disorders, including sleep issues. Reports cite a survey by the **Children and Family Agency (published in March 2025)**, indicating that Japanese youth spend over 5 hours online on average during weekdays, suggesting that prolonged use could affect daytime performance and nighttime sleep.

3. Public and Online Reactions: Voices Saying "Unrealistic?"

Reactions such as "2 hours is impossible" and "It should be left to family discretion" were prominent on social media immediately after the announcement. The mayor repeatedly emphasized that it is not mandatory and explained that they want it to be a **"chance to reconsider usage"** under the premise that "smartphones are essential and useful in life".licas.news

4. Comparison with Past Cases: Lessons from Kagawa's "Game Ordinance"

In 2020, Kagawa Prefecture enacted the nation's first ordinance limiting game time to 1 hour on weekdays and 90 minutes on holidays as a guideline, but it had no enforcement power and was managed by parental control. Toyoake City's ordinance proposal also shares the structure of being a non-binding guideline.The Japan TimesGamma Law

5. Legal Perspective: Local Governments' "Request-Based" Rules

Local governments in Japan sometimes establish ordinances that define obligations to make efforts and recommendations, aiming to encourage behavioral change among residents through "codification of rules" without accompanying penalties. Since there are no sanctions for violations this time, concerns about human rights violations or excessive restriction of private rights are mitigated. However, the fundamental debate over public intervention in private time remains, and accountability and transparent operation are required (refer to the city's official process for submission and operation).Toyoake City Official Website

6. International Trends: Expanding "Time Guidelines" Focused on Protecting Minors

• China: A draft was published (2023) to limit smartphone use for minors to a maximum of 2 hours per day by age. Prohibition of nighttime use and strengthening of the platform's **"youth mode"** are under discussion.techxplore.com
  
  

• Europe and North America: There is a growing trend of regulations tailored to situations and ages, such as banning smartphone use in schools, age restrictions on social media, and recommending screen avoidance before bedtime. The Toyoake City proposal is unique in that it is a **"guideline ordinance"** that is cross-age and cross-situational.The Japan Times

7. Effectiveness and Challenges: How to Implement "2 Hours"?

① Practicality of Measurement
Using OS standard Screen Time (iOS) / Digital Wellbeing (Android) to understand usage time by app and day, and managing by foldering "leisure" apps (SNS, videos, games, etc.) is practical.

② Designing Household Rules

"Digital Sunset" 1 hour before bedtime

(charging station in shared space)

• Routine of homework → free time → bath → bedtime

• Ensuring continuity by setting "exception days (event/travel days)"

• ③ Role of Schools and Community
  
  Schools should establish rules for
  bringing and using devices in class and provide information ethics education, while the community should set up consultation and monitoring windows
  . The city should also provide specific guidelines (age-specific models, checklists).
  
  

8. Clarifying Misunderstandings Q&A (Based on City Explanations)

Q. Does responding to work chats or cram school messages count?

A.

Work and study are not "leisure"

, so they are

excluded.
Toyoake City Official Website Q. What about watching news or reels on the commute train?

A.
Commuting is not included in "leisure"

(clarified by the city).

Toyoake City Official Website Q. What about recipe videos in the kitchen or training videos while running?

A.
Viewing as a supplement to chores or exercise

is

excluded.
Toyoake City Official Website Q. What about eSports practice?

A.
Like other sports, it is excluded

.

Toyoake City Official Website

9. Social Impact: The Effect of Making Discussions "Visible"

This type of

non-binding guideline
functions as a **"draft" for social consensus building**.

Family
: Parents and children can

customize consensus rules

while visualizing (dashboard).##HTML_TAG_514