The central Japanese city of Toyoake has drafted an ordinance urging residents to limit personal smartphone use to two hours a day outside work or school. The non-binding measure, unveiled on Friday by Mayor Masafumi Koki, also advises elementary pupils to switch off phones after 9 p.m. and older students after 10 p.m. The city assembly is expected to vote on the proposal next week; if approved it would take effect in October, with no penalties for exceeding the limit. Officials say the guidelines are aimed at curbing sleep disruption and other health problems linked to excessive screen time. Japanese youths currently spend just over five hours online on weekdays, according to a March survey by the Children and Families Agency. Toyoake’s plan has sparked a vigorous online backlash, with critics calling the two-hour target unrealistic, prompting the mayor to stress that the rules are purely advisory. The move comes amid a wider push by policymakers to address screen addiction among young people. In France, former prime minister Gabriel Attal this week proposed mandatory addiction screenings in secondary schools, a ban on social-media access for children under 15, and automatic black-and-white mode for videos watched longer than 30 minutes. While Attal’s ideas remain at the discussion stage, they underscore the growing international debate over how far governments should go in regulating digital habits.