Japanese city passes two-hours-a-day smartphone usage ordinance

The city council in the Japanese city of Toyoake has passed an ordinance that symbolically limits recreational use of smartphones to just two hours each day.

The council passed the ordinance on Promoting the Proper Use of Smartphones [PDF] because it wants residents – and especially students returning to school – to get more sleep.

“The primary purpose of this ordinance is to ensure that all citizens receive adequate sleep,” states a Council information page, which explains that many Japanese people ignore Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare recommendations to spend six to eight hours a day dozing. An accompanying FAQ [PDF] explains that Council passed the ordinance because students who return to school after summer vacations sometimes need a nudge the re-establish an appropriate daily regime.

The ordinance also points out “Excessive phone users and their families are facing difficulties in their daily and social lives,” and suggests the two-hours-a-day guidance might help.

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Council’s documents point out that smartphones have myriad uses beyond recreation, and that the ordinance should not be taken as a suggestion to reduce overall use of the devices.

Toyoake is part of the Nagoya megalopolis and is home to around 70,000 people. The town’s government plans to survey residents about the ordinance, and the FAQ also mentions it wants to tackle other digital menaces, among them harmful effects of using smartphones while walking.

The Register feels sure it speaks for all readers when we suggest the city of Toyoake ensures that any ordinance it passes on that subject is binding, policed, and punishable with extremely severe sanctions. ®