Instagram Begins Testing A New Feature That Reminds Users To ‘Take A Break’

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Instagram Begins Testing A New Feature That
Reminds Users To Take A Break
Instagram addiction is a growing phenomenon
across the world. While the popular social media
platform offers unprecedented entertainment,
connectivity, and information, its overuse
constrains users everywhere and affects them
adversely. As of 2021, Instagram is estimated to
have 1.074 billion monthly active users
worldwide. 500 million of these active users
access Instagram stories every day. The average
amount of time spent on Instagram is 28 minutes
per day. To encourage users to take time out and
remind them to consider the time they are
spending on it, the Head of Instagram, Adam
Mosseri, announced a new feature on Instagram.
The new Take a Break feature, developed along
with mental healthcare specialists, will limit
the time users spend on the application with the
help of opt-in preset reminders. Testing Take a
Break, read Mosseris post. His tweet further
added, 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. Im excited
to dig into the results and hopefully launch
this sometime in December. All you need to know
about Take a Break The self-moderating
optional feature will enable Instagram users to
set reminders at regular intervals of 10, 20, or
30 minutes, prodding them to take a break from
the app. Or else, the users can also choose the
Off option to disable the feature. By
activating the feature, users will be recommended
to do other things like write down what you are
thinking, listen to your favorite song, or
take a few deep breaths.
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Take a Break feature is part of a broader
effort to give people more control over their
experience of Instagram and curb the increasing
addiction to the platform. Ultimately, you know
what is right for you when it comes to how you
use the app. We want to make sure we offer tools
for you to shape Instagram into what works for
you, said Mosseri in a video. Pictures revealed
during the announcement show that the
notification will display in users feeds but
wont take over the whole screen. In theory, this
indicates, users could scroll right past
it. The psychology of followers, likes, and
comments Many studies on social media and mental
health have highlighted that the prolonged use
of platforms like Instagram can cause stress,
depression, and anxiety. As per The Wall Street
Journal, Instagram carried out many online
surveys and studies in the last two years to
understand how young people felt using their
app. Some of the research they conducted showed
that young users blamed Instagram for high
levels of anxiety and depression. Not only that,
App Developer Peter Mezyk recently claimed that
Facebook and Instagram users could become
dependent on these apps as they would on
painkillers. In a study conducted by Harvard
University, it was found that the reward part
of the brain that lights up in people indulging
in addictions lights up for regular social media
and Instagram users too. The rush of dopamine
offers users a lift similar to that experienced
by users addicted to substance use. Yet another
detrimental element of Instagram overuse is the
obsession with likes, comments, followers,
shares, and saves. Users are even found to sink
into depression if any interaction goes wrong in
their virtual lives. Isolation, low self-esteem,
and strong adverse reactions to even the
slightest impact on their online personas have
been noted in various studies. The effects are
many and do not stop at health worries arising
from spending long hours bent over on the phone
screen, watching photos and videos without
breaks. With the commencement of Take a Break
and similar features slated to be launched, the
social media platform finally seems to be making
headway in placing more control in the users
hands.
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Instagrams intent to roll out Take a Break A
welcome move Last week, the social media company
took a step in the right direction by announcing
the news of testing time-outs. Although it
remains to be seen how many users will
voluntarily set reminders to evaluate the time
they spend on Instagram, the feature appears to
be a valuable PR exercise that attempts to
conciliate critics. Industry experts have
embraced the move and predict that it will
positively affect users who spend unhealthy time
on various social media platforms. While
commenting on the announcement, Mohit
Mirchandani, Co-founder and Chief Marketing
Officer of Digital Nod, said, We are all
addicted to screens. The average amount of time
spent online is at an unhealthy level right now
and we need to tackle this problem. Mohit adds,
This is Instagrams way of putting mental health
first. A step like this is a welcome move in
todays times. Other popular platforms like
Facebook and YouTube are making social media a
safe space for its users. Like Instagram,
Facebook, too, offers a Take a Break option to
block specific users from appearing in the
feed temporarily. Its Quite Mode feature, which
was introduced last year, allows users to mute
notifications. Take a Break feature will pop
up in your timeline, asking if you want to
opt-in. Expect to access it in December.