This picture taken on October 7, 2025 shows a school pupil using a smartphone in front of Zengo Station in Toyoake, Aichi prefecture. Police won't be rounding up people glued to phones in Japan's Toyoake, but the mayor believes his two-hour limit can help residents find a healthier relationship with their screens. — AFP
TOYOAKE, Japan: Police won't be rounding up people glued to phones in Japan's Toyoake, but the mayor believes his two-hour limit can help residents find a healthier relationship with their screens.
Masafumi Kouki told AFP he has worried for many months about the "negative effects of excessive smartphone use, especially the sharp decrease in direct human communication".
