One Japanese city has decided to take an innovative approach to improving the Read of its residents. Toyoake, Japan, instituted a two-hour screen limit per day by law. Lawmakers hope that screen addicted residents will start putting down their phones and start spending more time with loved ones and prioritizing sleep. 

These days, lots of us are realizing that we truly are addicted to our phones and screens, especially once we try to curb the addiction in question. It is not easy! Which is probably why they call it an addiction. But the bigger question is, should the government be getting involved?

The city of Toyoake, Japan, has limited screen time to two hours a day by law.

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Well, that’s certainly one way to do it! The city, in the central Japanese prefecture of Aichi, instituted a municipal ban on screen time over two hours per day for all residents of the city, the first municipality in the country to do so.

The ordinance, which goes into effect October 1, 2025, applies to smartphones, computers, and tablets, limiting their use to just two hours. But the ordinance is not as draconian as it probably sounds: It does apply to tech use for work, school, or household chores, and violations carry no penalty. Because, you know, that would be a bit much.

Rather, the ordinance is intended just to be guidance for families, and Mayor Masafumi Kouki told reporters that he and his colleagues “are not rejecting smartphones.” Which of course begs the question: What’s the point?

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Officials hope the law will prompt citizens to reconsider their tech use.

Mayor Kouki told the media that the ordinance is just one part of wider public health projects in Toyoake, and they hope that following the new rule will highlight issues like sleep disturbances, a well-known negative impact that screen usage has on people because of the way its blue light disrupts our circadian rhythms and the constant activity stimulates our brains.

Hence, the ordinance contains time guidelines as well, calling for no use of gadgets after 9:00 p.m. for elementary school-age children and younger, and after 10:00 p.m. for junior high students and above.

Officials also hope the rule will help foster more togetherness and conversation among families, instead of everyone being cordoned off in their own worlds on their phones during all of their free time. But while the ordinance’s intentions are good, not everyone is happy about it.

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The ordinance has proven controversial, with some feeling it is overreach by the local government.

Even in Japan’s far more community-focused culture compared to most Western countries, the ordinance has drawn no small share of criticism from those who say this whole thing is none of the government’s business.

But of course, it’s not an enforceable rule and carries no penalties for violation, so it’s hard to square that particular view. Despite its detractors, many in Toyoake have seen the law’s passage as an opportunity to discuss issues about screen addiction and tech use with family members.

It is the officials’ hope that Toyoake will set an example for other places. So far, studies have been pretty conclusive that our increasing use and reliance on our phones and devices is causing major issues, from sleep disturbances and behavior issues in kids to rising rates of mental illness. And that’s before we even get into what it’s doing to society.

Scores of studies have shown that screen usage can do very real harm to children’s cognitive and emotional development, impacts that are exacerbated by the way screens disturb their sleep.

The inverse has been found to be true as well: A 2024 Danish study found that decreasing smartphone and screen use improved the mental health of kids and adolescents. Overreach or no, it seems like Toyoake’s move is one whose time has come. The question is whether anyone will be willing to put their phones down enough to abide by it.

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John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.