The social media application Instagram has started testing a new feature called "Take a Break," aimed at encouraging users to take temporary stops from browsing the app, which is specialized in displaying photos and short videos and is owned by Meta, the parent company of Facebook.
Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, stated that the new feature will remind users of the necessity to take a break from browsing after a specified period, which could be 10, 20, or 30 minutes. The notification presented by the app will offer several suggestions for taking a break, such as taking a deep breath, writing down thoughts, listening to a favorite song, or completing a task from the user's to-do list.
Mosseri mentioned that the new feature is expected to appear for users included in the testing lists for the Instagram app over the next few days, with a wider rollout planned for December.
This new feature comes amid the latest wave of controversy surrounding the parent company Meta. Frances Haugen, a former product manager at Facebook, leaked thousands of documents from the giant social network earlier this year, leading to congressional meetings regarding Facebook's practices, as well as reports on the harmful effects of the Instagram app on young users, especially teenagers.
In September, Instagram halted the Instagram Kids service designed for children, claiming it needed more time to develop additional tools to help parents monitor their children's browsing on the app.
