Today brings good news for anyone who can find themselves caught in an endless scrolling loop. TikTok has introduced a new feature designed to help you reduce your screen time.
The app already offers daily screen time limits allowing you to cap how much time you spend on TikTok looking for makeup tips, fashion trends and health hot topics.
Now it's launching a screen time break feature allowing you to control how much time you spend on the app in a single session. After a certain amount of uninterrupted screen time – which you can set as you wish – you'll receive a prompt telling you your time is up.
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Basically, if you don't want to spend more than 10, 20 or 30 minutes on TikTok at a time, you can ask the app to tell you when you've had your fill.
In addition to the new screen time break feature, TikTok has installed a new screen time dashboard allowing you to see exactly how long you're spending on the app each week. The dashboard breaks down your TikTok time into daytime and nighttime usage, which is handy if you're looking to minimise your screen time before bed. And you can ask TikTok to prompt you to review your dashboard each week so it doesn't become another easy-to-forget chore.
The new features have been welcomed by Carolyn Bunting MBE, CEO of the online safety watchdog Internet Matters. "The research showed that younger users would welcome the introduction of built-in features and settings that prompt them to both think critically about the time that they are spending online, but also encourage them to use settings to actively manage the time they spent on the app," she said.
"It is important that they feel in control of their online experiences and are helped to make considered choices. We look forward to TikTok developing further features that will put children’s wellbeing at the heart of their design choices."