Smartphone Ordinance: Take This Opportunity to Consider ‘Excessive Use’ of Devices

Editorial

15:51 JST, August 27, 2025

While it would be acceptable if you found yourself using your smartphone in your free time, it cannot be said that it is healthy to be looking at it around the clock.

Regardless of whether it is appropriate to restrict the use of smartphones by laws and ordinances, it is hoped that society as a whole will consider whether it is acceptable for our daily lives to be dominated by such devices.

The city of Toyoake in Aichi Prefecture has submitted a draft ordinance to the city assembly that sets a limit using smartphones and tablet devices outside of work or study to “no more than two hours per day.” This is an ordinance that stipulates basic principles, but does not include obligations or penalties, and its purpose is to promote measures to prevent excessive smartphone use.

The ordinance would apply to all residents, but the draft ordinance includes guidelines on when to use such devices based on the importance of getting a sufficient amount of sleep for children’s physical and mental development: elementary school students and younger until 9 p.m. and junior high school students and older until 10 p.m. If the submitted ordinance is passed and enacted, it will take effect on Oct. 1.

Some residents have voiced criticism such as by questioning whether the municipal government should interfere in family affairs, according to the city government. Can the two-hour guideline stand on its own? Is there sufficient scientific evidence to support it? There are many questions. The hope is that the city assembly will thoroughly discuss these issues.

It is significant that the draft ordinance has raised the question of the “excessive use” of smartphones. The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry conducted a survey in the 2024 school year on the changes in academic performance among sixth-grade elementary school students and third-year junior high school students. The results show a significant decline in their academic performance. The increase in the time spent using smartphones is believed to be one of the causes.

Bullying via social media and gaming addiction have also become social issues. In Europe and Australia, there is a growing movement for their governments to restrict children’s use of the internet. Japan is being tested as to how to deal with this issue.

Some argue that laws and ordinances should not restrict individual freedom, but should smartphone addiction be allowed to stand as it is? The time has come to seriously consider measures to cope with the issue.

Adults are no exception. There are noticeably dangerous activities among adults, such as walking or driving while looking at their smartphones.

There are also objections overseas toward parents who caution their children not to excessively use smartphones, but they themselves are looking at their devices frequently.

According to a survey by the Cultural Affairs Agency in fiscal 2023, the percentage of people who do not read a single book in a month reached a record high of 63%. The most common reason cited for the decrease in the amount of reading was “time taken up by information devices.”

It would be advisable that adults will first reflect on their own usage patterns and then discuss rules for smartphone usage with their children within the family and elsewhere.

The information technology industry is said to be vying for “disposable time” that users can freely use by continuously offering attractive services. It is the responsibility of businesses to encourage healthy usage, rather than employing methods that put profits first and lead to users getting addicted.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 27, 2025)