In response to public pressure on tech companies to address excessive social media usage, TikTok plans to introduce new features to encourage users to take a break from scrolling endlessly on the platform.
In a blog post published on Thursday, TikTok announced that in the coming weeks, users will be able to set individual time restrictions for how much uninterrupted time they wish to spend using the app before being reminded to take a break.
TikTok formerly alerted users if they spent more than 40, 60, 90, or 120 minutes each day on the app.
A new screen time dashboard will now provide users with information on how much time they spend on TikTok, such as daily summaries, the number of times they launched the app, and a breakdown of daytime and nighttime usage.
Users can also opt for weekly reminders to keep track of their screen time.
Users between the ages of 13 and 17 will receive “digital well-being prompts” if they use the app for more than 100 minutes in a single day, according to the company.
These changes come following months of pressure on social media companies to do more to support users’ mental health in the digital era, as politicians and campaigners analyze platforms’ mental health consequences on young users.
Senators interrogated executives from TikTok, YouTube, and Snap late last year about the actions their companies were doing to protect teens.
It is however too early to determine whether these features will have any significant impact on the app usage and addiction.
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