Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri has announced the testing of a new “Take a Break” feature. Starting this week, some Instagram users will see a new opt-in feature that allows users to set a timer to receive break reminders while using the app.
Previously, it was reported that Instagram parent company Meta knows of the harmful impact of Instagram on teenage girls and the company has done nothing to mitigate that and was accused of prioritizing profits over the well-being of users, especially children. The upcoming digital well-being feature appears to be a step towards ensuring the well-being of users by providing checks on users’ time on the app because prolonged screen time can lead to various health concerns.
Instagram’s new opt-in “Take a Break” feature might roll out to everyone in December 2021
As explained, in the beta phase a small number of users will receive a prompt to enable the new ‘Take a Break’ feature. Once opted-in, the users will get to set a time to receive a reminder after 10 mins, 20 mins, or 30 minutes on the app. Then the app will automatically push a break reminder with suggestions to indulge in different activities after the user has spent the specified duration on the app. More importantly, the suggestions encourage users to close the app.
- Take a few deep breaths
- Write down what you’re thinking
- Listen to your favorite song
- Do something on your to-do list
@Adam Mosseri hopes to launch the new feature, globally in December based on the feedback received during testing.
Testing “Take a Break” 🧑🔬
We started testing a new feature called “Take a Break” this week. This opt-in control enables you to receive break reminders in-app after a duration of your choosing.
I’m excited to dig into the results & hopefully launch this sometime in December. ✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/WdSTjL6ZdH
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) November 10, 2021
The app has been undergoing major changes; recently, Instagram replaced the exclusive ‘swipe up’ links available to verified or bigger accounts with sticker links for everyone and introduced the ability to upload photos and videos from the web. It is also discovered that the company is going to add subscriptions and badges for users to become patrons of their favorite influencers or creators on the app.
