Facebook, Instagram Introduce Time-Management Tools

FOR THOSE WHO WORRY THAT THEY SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM ON WEDNESDAY SAID THEY WANT TO TACKLE THAT PROBLEM BY INTRODUCING TIME-MANAGEMENT TOOLS.

In a statement Wednesday, the social media giants — both owned by Facebook — said it was launching “new tools to help people manage their time” spent on the platforms.

Among the new additions are a way to limit notifications and a dashboard that allows users to keep track of how much time they have spent on the platforms.

“We want the time people spend on Instagram and Facebook to be intentional, positive and inspiring,” the statement said.

“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,” it added.

Facebook said it was introducing a daily reminder, whereby users are alerted when they reach the time limit they set for themselves to spend on the app, in addition to introducing an option to deactivate notifications on smartphones.

This comes after a number of changes on Facebook, including a major plan earlier this year to update its newsfeed to emphasise posts from friends and family.

Earlier this year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg Zuckerberg said: “In 2018, we’re focused on making sure Facebook isn’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being and for society.”

There are however marketing implications experts fear it could drive away advertisers if people spent less time on the social network.