Instagram has taken a proactive step toward promoting the digital well-being of young users. This feature is designed to gently remind teenagers about the importance of restful sleep by suggesting they close the app when their usage extends beyond ten minutes.
Court documents reveal a school security supervisor, pleaded guilty to making explosives via Instagram, involving a high school student.
Launching Nighttime Nudges
Instagram is set to launch new nighttime prompts for teenage users, aiming to limit their late-night usage of the platform. "Nighttime Nudges" will activate when teenagers spend more than ten minutes on specific Instagram sections like Reels or Direct Messages during late hours.
Engadget reported that the prompts will gently suggest that it's time to take a break and encourage the young users to close the app and get some rest. Instagram's initiative aims to promote healthy digital habits and enhance the well-being of adolescent users.
The nighttime nudges will automatically appear after 10 p.m. and cannot be disabled by the teens. While the feature provides guidance, users can choose to dismiss the nudges and continue using the app.
The move reflects a growing awareness of the impact of social media on users' mental health and aims to encourage healthier screen time habits, especially for adolescents who may be more vulnerable to the potential negative effects of prolonged digital engagement.
The recently introduced tool joins a suite of features that Instagram has deployed to assist teens and their parents in regulating the time spent on the platform. Alongside existing functionalities like Take a Break and parental supervision tools, there is also Quiet Mode.
This feature empowers teens to silence notifications, set up automatic message responses, and inform their friends and followers that they are currently unavailable, or engaged in activities such as studying or sleeping.
Adding Safety Features for Teens
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is implementing additional safety features for teen accounts on its platform.
Following TikTok's introduction of a similar feature in March, Instagram now plans to automatically limit the content teens can see, particularly aiming to shield them from harmful material related to self-harm, graphic violence, and eating disorders.
As per Social Media Today, this initiative comes as Meta faces increasing regulatory pressure and legal challenges related to the impact of its apps on young users' mental health.
The company is set to testify before the Senate on January 31, alongside representatives from other major platforms, including X, TikTok, Snap, and Discord. The Senate inquiry will address the platforms' ability to protect children online, an issue that has gained significant attention and scrutiny in recent years.
Moreover, Meta is contending with legal challenges, with over 40 states suing the company, alleging that its apps contribute to mental health problems among young users.
TechCrunch reported that the latest announcement follows a recent report on internal Meta documents concerning child safety, uncovering that Meta deliberately targeted its apps toward children.
Additionally, the documents revealed that the company was cognizant of a substantial volume of inappropriate and sexually explicit content exchanged between adults and minors on its platforms.
