Japan's Kagawa Prefecture, located in the Kansai Region of Japan, just passed a bill which severely limits the amount of time that kids under 18 years of age in the prefecture can spend playing games. The bill limits video game time to just 60 minutes a day on weekdays and 90 minutes a day on the weekends, but also extends to smartphone use, mandating they not be used past 10 PM.

This isn't the first time that Japan has attempted to pass a bill similar to this one, as several months ago a near identical, albeit far harsher, bill was proposed, but was shot down due to its unrealistic restrictions. China also limited gaming recently, but that was for a National Day of Mourning in relation to coronavirus deaths. Still, through less than ideal methods, this watered down version of the bill was actually passed.

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There are also a lot of strange circumstances surrounding the passing of the bill, so it is highly likely that those in opposition of the new law will try to get it repealed or offer forth some kind of counter. For starters, many councilmen actually walked out during the vote, although it's unclear whether they simply couldn't make a decision or if they had other reasons for doing so. In addition to this, the supporting arguments for the bill were made up of summarized comments from the general public in favor of the bill, which could easily be misleading.

Hands holding Xbox One controller

Of course, whether one finds this bill to reasonable or not, the main problem standing in its way is enforcement. A limitation of one hour of gaming per day would be nearly impossible for the Kagawa Prefecture's government to enforce, so the actual impact of this bill will be entirely dependant on how Japanese parents decide to handle it. For some households, it is possible that the rules will be strictly enforced, but in a majority of households, they will likely be ignored.

The Kagawa Prefecture's government has reached out to parents in the area asking them for their aid in enforcing this new bill, but there is not much it can do beyond that. Parents tend to be rather stubborn about how they raise their kids, and don't like anyone, even the government, telling them how to do so.

This is yet another point of contention in the discussion of whether or not video games negatively affect the growth of children. It's worth noting that the new bill does not limit gaming on the basis of rating or level of violence, instead limiting all gaming and even smartphone use. More than likely, this issue will get brought up again soon.

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Source: TheGamer/Patrick Kobeck