Facebook to offer tool to limit use on app

Facebook and Instagram are rolling out new features to help users better manage their time and encourage people to take breaks, the company said Thursday.

In a press release, company executives said the tools were developed in conjunction with mental health professionals and include an activity meter and a chance to implement optional limits to the number of notifications users will receive.

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“We want the time people spend on Instagram and Facebook to be intentional, positive and inspiring,” reads a post from developers. “Our hope is that these tools give people more control over the time they spend on our platforms and also foster conversations between parents and teens about the online habits that are right for them.”

The new features, which include a time limit that sends a pop-up notification once a daily allotment of time has expired, are not hard limits on users’ time on the site and can be bypassed. The features will instead simply serve as a reminder to log off, as compared to more concrete parental controls that would force the app to close.

Another new feature allows temporary daily restrictions to be set on notifications, between 15 minutes to 8 hours at a time.

“We developed these tools based on collaboration and inspiration from leading mental health experts and organizations, academics, our own extensive research and feedback from our community,” the developers added.

Facebook has faced intense criticism this year after it was reported that data firm Cambridge Analytica obtained the personal data of tens of millions of Facebook’s users without their knowledge or consent.

The company’s stock plummeted 19 percent last week in the largest single-day drop for any public company ever after Facebook reported earnings that fell short of estimates.