Take a Break, the new feature that Instagram will begin testing starting next month on a small number of users does exactly what you think. These are the words used by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, to announce this feature which will help users remember to take a break after spending too much time on the social platform.
If you decide to use it, Take a Break will encourage you to take a break from Instagram after spending a certain amount of time on the app; 10, 20 or 30 minutes.
This feature is part of a larger effort by Instagram to try to give users more control over the platform’s user experience. You know what’s best for you when it comes to how you use the app. And we want to make sure we provide you with the tools to turn Instagram into something that’s right for you.
Although some features that allow you to manage the periods of use of the apps have already been present for some time in both iOS and Android, the timing with which this announcement arrives from Instagram can only suggest a direct consequence of Frances’s statements Haugen.
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US IT, we recall, has revealed tens of thousands of internal Facebook documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission which revealed that, according to internal research of the company, Instagram can have a negative effect on the mental health of young people who feel “addicted” to the social network, but do not have the self-control to reduce its use, even if they would have preferred to check the app less often.
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Last month, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs Nick Clegg said the company was developing a “Take a Break” feature with teens in mind:
When systems detect that a teenager is watching the same content over and over again, and it is content that may not be conducive to their well-being, we will prompt them to watch other content.
In the video with which Adam Mosseri announced the new feature, the message that will be displayed in the users’ feed is shown, a text that does not occupy the entire screen and that, in theory, could be easily bypassed. The function will not be active by default but will have to be selected manually, from the settings, by setting the time you want to spend on the app before receiving the reminder which will also include some suggestions on things to do, designed in collaboration with third-party experts:
Take a few deep breaths, write down what you’re thinking, listen to your favorite song, do something on your to-do list.
As mentioned, Instagram will begin testing the feature on a small number of users starting in December. If the tests offer satisfactory results, Take a Break will be gradually extended to all users of the platform.