Instagram launches new feature that encourages you to 'Take a Break' - Here's how it works

Written By DNA Web Team | Updated: Feb 04, 2022, 11:02 PM IST

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The new feature comes amid increased criticism that Instagram is harmful to its teen users.

To help young people better manage their Instagram experience, the Meta-owned photo-sharing platform on Friday launched the 'Take a Break' in all countries, including India.

'Take a Break' is a feature that will show up for people, as they have been scrolling for a certain amount of time. "The wellbeing of young people is important to us, and we are focused on ensuring that the time spent on Instagram is intentional and people feel good about it," Natasha Jog, Public Policy Manager, Instagram, Facebook India, said in a statement.

"With this context, we have launched 'Take a Break', to meaningfully improve the experience on Instagram for young people, parents, and guardians," she added.

In this feature, users will be asked to take a break from Instagram and suggest that they set reminders to take more breaks in the future.

They will also be shown expert-backed tips to help them reflect and reset. To make sure that young people are aware of this feature, they will be shown notifications suggesting they turn these reminders on.

"We aim to continue our work to create a safe and supportive environment on Instagram, so young people can use it to explore their interests, and find community," Jog said.

The 'Take a Break' reminders build on Instagram's existing time management tools including Daily Limit, which lets people know when they have reached the total amount of time they want to spend on Instagram each day and offers the ability to mute notifications from Instagram.

'Take a Break' was first launched in the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and it is now available for everyone globally.

The feature 'Take a Break' will be available on iOS immediately and will roll out to Android in a few weeks.