The platform will be integrating a “nudge” feature, which will send a notification when a user has been browsing content on a specific subject they may be fixated on. This “nudge” will encourage the user to navigate to a new topic, excluding topics related to body image or appearance.
“We designed this new feature because research suggests that nudges can be effective for helping people — especially teens — be more mindful of how they’re using social media in the moment,” parent company Meta said in a blog post. “In an external study on the effects of nudges on social media use, 58.2% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that nudges made their social media experience better by helping them become more mindful of their time on-platform.”
Meta plans to incentivize young creators to post content designed to inspire and support the well-being of teens.
Instagram’s “take a break” feature, encouraging users to take a break from browsing the application, will be introduced in certain countries this summer.
“This feature is one necessary positive tool to support young people’s well-being within the context of healthy social media engagement,” Alfiee Breland-Noble, PhD, a psychologist and founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project who worked on the take a break feature, said.
