‘it Made My Day More Meaningful’: The Japanese Gen-zers Attempting A Two-hour Limit On Smartphone Use

Despite moving full-time for a institution successful Tokyo, Shoki Moriyama manages to eke retired 8 hours a time to give to his smartphone.

“I request my telephone to navigate my measurement done nan accusation wars,” says Moriyama, who astatine 25 is portion of a procreation that can’t ideate life without scrolling done news and societal media, messaging apps and off-the-wall video clips.

He is not alone. While excessive smartphone usage is simply a worldwide phenomenon, authorities successful Japan are taking action, amid increasing interest complete its physical and psychological toll, peculiarly connected children and young people.

Last week, nan municipality of Toyoake successful cardinal Japan introduced a measurement limiting smartphone usage among its 69,000 residents to two hours a day, successful what officials opportunity was an effort to tackle grounds of online addiction and slumber deprivation. The ordinance – passed by nan municipality assembly past period – does not transportation penalties for those who disregard it.

Moriyama was among respective people, each successful their 20s, who accepted nan Guardian’s situation to support their smartphone usage to a maximum of 2 hours and stock their experiences.

There were resounding successes and abject failures.

Shoki Moriyama says 2 hours of telephone usage regular is ‘way excessively little’. Photograph: Justin McCurry/The Guardian

Moriyama, who habitually checks LINE – an instant-messaging, news and intermezo “super app” celebrated successful Japan – arsenic good arsenic TikTok, Instagram and X, conceded that staying disconnected nan sites, aliases astatine slightest dramatically curtailing his usage, had been a struggle.

“I walk astir 8 hours a time connected my phone, truthful 2 hours is measurement excessively small … and not capable clip for maine to enactment up to day pinch everything,” he says. “In nan extremity I utilized my smartphone for an hr and 50 minutes, which is simply a monolithic simplification connected my accustomed surface time. I utilized nan other clip to publication a book, study a small and spell to nan gym, truthful my time wasn’t wasted.”

His workfellow Tomomi Hanaoka besides managed to rein successful her habit. “I walk astir 3 hours connected my telephone connected weekdays and six aliases 7 hours astatine weekends, truthful 2 hours felt very short. Most group request astatine slightest 3 to 4 hours,” says Hanaoka, who usually “can’t do” without LINE, TikTok and Instagram.

“I kept my usage to 2 hours and utilized nan free clip to publication and do different things.”

Akari Saito, a assemblage student, sewage her caveats successful early, “because my characteristic is specified that mounting limits connected thing makes maine want to do it more”.

While Saito welcomed nan Toyoake inaugural arsenic a starting constituent for a wider chat of smartphone use, she says nan attraction should beryllium connected nan quality, not quantity, of surface time. “Although mounting a bound betwixt learning and intermezo could beryllium difficult.”

Despite a valiant effort, Saito struggled to make inroads into her regular 3 to 4 hours of telephone time. “I recovered it particularly difficult to put it distant during my train commute to schoolhouse aliases while I was walking. But I tin spot that reducing my telephone usage mightiness make nan time consciousness longer and let maine to walk it much meaningfully.”

Yuri* has already tried to limit her smartphone use, usually erstwhile she has exams coming up, moreover going arsenic acold arsenic to hide Instagram and group a password-activated fastener for bully measure.

She uses her instrumentality to cheque societal media, hunt for recipes, nonstop texts and entree study materials, though excessively overmuch surface clip gives her headaches and tired eyes.

“I mobility why nan ordinance straight recommends restricting smartphone use. If nan extremity is to promote group to rethink their usage, they should beryllium encouraged to group their ain rules,” she says.

“But I broadly work together pinch nan suggested measurement of smartphone usage – this is because I don’t request my smartphone for my hobbies and interests. But group who chiefly usage theirs for intermezo and accent alleviation will find measures for illustration this difficult to accept.”

A man uses his smartphone to return a photograph successful Suzuka, Japan. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Toyoake’s mayor, Masafumi Koki, defended nan measure, which drew dozens of complaints from residents who accused nan section authorities of interfering successful their backstage lives.

Pointing retired that he regularly uses his smartphone to support an oculus connected shot scores and consult maps – but puts it to 1 broadside during meal – Koki says he was worried that children and younger group were sacrificing slumber and family time successful favour of scrolling, texting and posting.

After a activity of online criticism, immoderate of which wrongly claimed nan two-hour limit would beryllium strictly enforced, he told nan Mainichi Shimbun newspaper: “If personification hears 2 hours, they’ll extremity and deliberation astir really agelong they really usage their smartphone for. That’s nan point.”

Young Japanese walk an mean of conscionable complete 5 hours a time online connected weekdays, according to a study released this twelvemonth by nan Children and Families Agency.

Aya* spends considerably much clip connected her instrumentality than nan nationalist average, regularly clocking up 8 hours a day.

“I couldn’t limit myself to conscionable 2 hours, but conscionable being conscious of nan situation made a difference. In nan end, I was capable to trim my accustomed smartphone usage by astir 60%, which felt significant,” nan assemblage student says, conceding that she had consulted a recreation planner and checked her emails and texts.

She voiced support for nan Toyoake initiative, speculating that nan absence of penalties could beryllium its biggest asset.

“That’s precisely what makes it meaningful … you person to group your ain rules and set them accordingly. It’s an important opportunity to deliberation concretely astir our regular habits, alternatively than conscionable successful an absurd way.”

And she did not miss nan hours she usually spends “aimlessly scrolling”.

“I spent much clip enjoying conversations and taking announcement of what was happening astir me. It made my time consciousness much meaningful.”

That will beryllium euphony to nan ears of Koki. On nan eve of his town’s arguable research successful societal engineering, nan politician insisted it would beryllium worthwhile. “This is astir sleep, family and wellbeing,” he says. “If nan ordinance makes moreover a fewer group extremity and talk astir their habits, past it’s working.”

*Name has been changed connected request.