{"id":158043,"date":"2025-09-15T08:55:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T08:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/158043\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T08:55:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T08:55:14","slug":"the-town-that-tried-to-switch-off-the-smartphone-and-what-happened-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/158043\/","title":{"rendered":"The town that tried to switch off the smartphone\u2026 and what happened next"},"content":{"rendered":"

Until August, Toyoake in central Japan was one of those medium-sized places that basked contentedly in peaceful obscurity. <\/p>\n

In the 16th century, two armies of samurai fought a famous battle here but, ever since, the town of 68,000, a commuter suburb of the city of Nagoya, has avoided drama and controversy. Then Toyoake woke from its slumber on the front line of a fierce debate that has thrust it into the news and divided its people.<\/p>\n

It began with a press conference by the town\u2019s mayor, Masafumi Koki, at which he presented a four-page document to be voted on by the town assembly on September 22. The \u201cCity Ordinance on the Promotion of Appropriate Use of Smartphones, etc\u201d sets out the town\u2019s official policy on digital devices in terms tougher than anywhere else in Japan.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

Concern about hikikomori, or social withdrawal, has prompted an attempt to restrict phone use in a town in Japan<\/p>\n

NORIKO HAYASHI\/BLOOMBERG\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\"Autumn<\/p>\n

Toyoake is at the centre of a debate on smartphones and government intervention<\/p>\n

While acknowledging the indispensable nature of digital devices, it describes the harm done by \u201cexcessive\u201d use of phones, tablets and games: disrupted sleep and daily routines and harm to family relationships \u201cby reducing family communication time\u201d.<\/p>\n

It declares: \u201cParticularly for children in their physical and mental growth phase, including infancy, this risks hindering healthy development. This ordinance is enacted to comprehensively promote measures against the adverse physical, mental and lifestyle effects that excessive use of smartphones and similar devices may cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 Meet Do Nothing Rental Man, Japan\u2019s unlikely social media star<\/a><\/p>\n

It commits the city to \u201cpromoting\u201d the \u201cappropriate\u201d use of smartphones. Specifically, \u201cthe city, guardians, schools and professionals shall collaborate to encourage limiting the use of smartphones and similar devices during leisure time to two hours per day\u201d.<\/p>\n

Primary school pupils are encouraged to switch off their phones at 9pm and older children no later than an hour after that. The proposal has prompted scores of emails and phone calls, a vigorous online debate and a protest movement dedicated to blocking it.<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/p>\n

The use of smartphones by Japanese children has exacerbated the problem of many refusing to go to school, say the authorities<\/p>\n

JIANGANG WANG\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first reaction was \u2018what\u2019s all this about?\u2019\u201d said Mariko Fujie, a member of the Toyoake town assembly and an opponent of the ordinance. \u201cIt\u2019s good that this has made us think and talk about these issues, but there has been no proper study, no listening to the voices of citizens. And this is too much interference in private matters. I have to say [to the city authorities]: it\u2019s none of your business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toyoake is not the only government struggling to balance individual freedoms with regulation of the harmful effects of digital devices. Australia has passed legislation banning under-16s<\/a> from certain social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. This week, a French parliamentary commission recommended a similar ban for under-15s and an overnight \u201cdigital curfew\u201d for 15 to 18-year-olds.<\/p>\n

The attachment that people feel to their digital communications, and the passions that are aroused when they are threatened, has been obvious in Nepal<\/a>, where the prime minister resigned this week after riots followed the intention to ban social media sites.<\/p>\n

Koki was spurred to push for the ordinance because of anxiety about the effects of social media on children, some of whom have dropped out of school and are known as futoko, or school refusers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they are at home, they use their smartphones more,\u201d said Koki. \u201cThe more they use them, the less they sleep. Their lives end up almost reversing daytime and night-time \u2014 and that worsens the school refusal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

Opponents feel the planned restriction infringes on personal freedom<\/p>\n

VIOLA KAM\/SOPA IMAGES\/LIGHTROCKET\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

Long-term futoko have a greater chance of subsiding into hikikomori, or social withdrawal. \u201cOnce the people are caught into that state and they get older, it is almost impossible to get them out,\u201d said Koki. \u201cIf we support them when they are young, that may reduce school refusal and hikikomori. What we want is to provide support, and connection with society.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Japanese<\/p>\n

Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese prime minister, passes the time on his phone before a budget committee session in Tokyo in February<\/p>\n

YOSHIO TSUNODA\/AFLO\/SHUTTERSTOCK<\/p>\n

However, the proposed ordinance has unexpectedly strong opposition. Of the 120 emails and phone calls received by the town hall, four out of five are from people who are against it, forcing Koki on to the defensive.<\/p>\n

Headlines about a smartphone \u201cban\u201d are misleading, he points out: the ordinance is no more than a statement of government policy and aspiration, with no penalties or means of enforcement. However, in a country such as Japan, where recommendations by government authorities are felt by some to have the force of law, it is seen by many as a sinister intervention into the private sphere.<\/p>\n

Koki and his opponents assume he has a majority of supporters among conservatives in the 20-person assembly, and that the ordinance will be passed.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Yuko Hase, left, is one of many who disagree with the ordinance<\/p>\n

Yuko Hase, who is canvassing views on the controversy, said: \u201cYou can blame smartphones, but if you take them away, will insomnia be cured?\u201d She reported that most people opposed the ordinance. \u201cThis has come about without fully taking different views into consideration, and it gives me a sense of crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Until August, Toyoake in central Japan was one of those medium-sized places that basked contentedly in peaceful obscurity.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[165,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-158043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}