Go take a break… says Instagram

We’ve all done it. Opened Instagram or any other social media app installed in your phone with the intent of scrolling through a few posts with photographs or videos. Before you realize it, hours fly by, and we have no idea what we started with in the first place.

Take a Break, Instagram’s newest feature, tries to make self-moderation a little easier. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced the new feature in a brief video on Twitter, explaining that it would remind users to take a break after a certain length of time scrolling through the material on the app.

This can last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes and can be tailored to the user’s preferences. After a certain period of time has elapsed, the app will advise users to take a break or turn off their phone entirely.

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

These reminders are an excellent method to break your social media addiction that was intensified during the lockdown. It is entirely a voluntary option, but you may find similarities between Google’s Digital Wellbeing and Take A Break if you decide to opt-in.

You can use Digital Wellbeing to track your smartphone usage and instruct your phone to remind you to unplug if you’ve spent too much time on it.

Hopefully, with the lockdown almost at its end, such apps and reminders will help us control our online usage time, giving more substantial time to family and friends.