Instagram’s New Tools to Manage Time and Encourage Boundaries

Introduction

When you’re having trouble falling asleep at night, it can be very tempting to pick up your phone and start scrolling through Instagram, but hours can go by without you realizing it’s four in the morning and you haven’t slept yet, because you’re engrossed in looking at photos and videos.

However, a new Instagram update will soon make this a thing of the past. Meta, which owns both Instagram and Facebook, has launched two new tools to encourage teens to manage their time when using these apps.

Benefits of the Updates

These updates are designed to help teens feel in check their experiences online and help parents feel equipped to support their teens.

Send a notification

The first new tool is to notify teens if they spend too much time on Facebook, where they’ll see a notification when they spend 20 minutes on the app, asking them to take some time away from the app and set daily time limits.

They’ll also get an Instagram “alert” if the app detects that they’re watching “reels” continuously at night.

Additionally, Meta said it’s on the lookout for a new update that will cause teens to close the app if they’re scrolling through reels at night.

Instagram Silent Mode

The new features come shortly after the launch of Instagram’s silent mode, a feature that encourages users to set boundaries with their friends and followers.

Silent mode turns off notifications and sends automatic replies to direct messages.

“silent mode”

It’s also adding a new status “in silent mode” under the names of the Instagram profiles, accompanied by a small crescent icon for others to see.

App users can turn silent mode on and off in the app settings and choose to set a time period for automatic activation.

Users will also receive an instant message asking if they want to turn on silent mode after spending a “few minutes” on Instagram at night.

Interestingly, “silent mode” is already available to users in the UK, US, in Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but will now roll out globally.