Instagram starts testing 'Take a Break' so you can do just that

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Instagram logo on a Galaxy S10
Instagram logo on a Galaxy S10 (Image credit: Joe Maring / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Instagram is testing a new feature called "Take a Break."
  • The app will remind users to take a break after an allotted time that users can define.
  • This feature was previously teased amid increased scrutiny over Instagram's effects on teens.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced on Wednesday that the app is testing a new feature called "Take a Break" that will let users... take a break.

The feature will allow users to define a set amount of time for the app to send out the prompt. It appears 10, 20, and 30 minutes are available options, after which it will remind you to close Instagram and do other things.

Mosseri says that some users should start seeing the feature this week across iOS and the best Android phones, and if tests go well, Instagram will roll it out widely in December.

This isn't the first time we've heard of "Take a Break." The feature was first teased in October as a way to address the increased scrutiny Meta is facing over Instagram's effects on teens.

Nick Clegg, Meta's vice president of Global Affairs, said that Instagram was preparing this and other features as a way to "nudge" teens away from the app from time to time or even direct them away from certain content that could be potentially damaging.

If the test is successful, it could be helpful for other social media sites to adopt as well, but only time will tell.

Derrek Lee
Derrek Lee
Managing Editor

Derrek is the managing editor of Android Central, helping to guide the site's editorial content and direction to reach and resonate with readers, old and new, who are just as passionate about tech as we are. He's been obsessed with mobile technology since he was 12, when he discovered the Nokia N90, and his love of flip phones and new form factors continues to this day. As a fitness enthusiast, he has always been curious about the intersection of tech and fitness. When he's not working, he's probably working out.