Toyoaake mayor says two-hour screen limit ordinance shows modest impact

Toyoaake, a central Japanese city, introduced a voluntary ordinance last October urging citizens to cap personal screen use at two hours daily when not at work or school. A recent survey targeting people between 16 and 80 years old revealed that 86 out of 1,670 respondents who were aware of the guideline—about 5.1%—had actually lowered their usage. Mayor Masafumi Kouki remarked that, despite the measure’s nonbinding nature, the observed change was encouraging and stressed the need for ongoing awareness campaigns.

The questionnaire also indicated that 27.1% of participants became more conscious of how they use devices, while 11.1% discussed usage rules with relatives. Smaller percentages noted improvements in family interaction (4.6%) and sleep duration (3.8%). The survey, carried out in March and April, collected valid answers from 1,907 people, with 87.6% acknowledging the ordinance. Earlier in the spring, the city released separate surveys of elementary and junior-high students and their parents.