Fears for hyperconnection, maximum 2 hours a day
The city council of the city of Toyoake, in the prefecture of Aichi, in central Japan, has approved an ordinance that recommends residents to limit the use of smartphones, video game consoles and other digital devices to a maximum of two hours a day, outside the school or working hours. The measure that – anticipated last month – had gone around the world, was born from the growing fear for the negative effects “of hyperconnection” on psychophysical well -being, especially among the youngest. The rule will come into force on October 1st and in any case does not include sanctions, but the message is clear: less screen, more rest. In fact, the Municipality believes that too much streaming and too many social networks can compromise night sleep hours, damage mental development and reduce the quality of family time. This is the first initiative of the genre in Japan, and in particular the ordinance recommends elementary children to turn off the smartphone by 9 pm, while for the middle and superior children the limit is set at 10 pm. “An adequate sleep is fundamental for growth”, reads the text. The mayor of the town of about 70 thousand inhabitants, Masafumi Kouki, explained that the limits were set on the basis of the guidelines of the Japanese Ministry of Health, in which it is specifies that more than two hours a day on weekdays risk disturbing the sleep-wake cycle. Parents are asked to establish precise rules at home, while the Municipality undertakes to offer support and consultancy to families.
