Facebook to Release Time Well Spent Feature

Facebook is planning to introduce a feature designed to display the amount of time that a user spends on the site.

“Your Time on Facebook” shows a daily breakdown of how long a user has spent on the app over the past seven days, as well as showing the average per day.

There is also an option to set a daily limit. An automated alert will pop up once that limit is reached.

The prototype has not yet been officially released but can be found within the code of the Android app.

A spokesperson confirmed this development to TechCrunch, saying: “We’re always working on new ways to help make sure people’s time on Facebook is time well spent.”

Mark Zuckerburg adds: “Protecting our community is more important than maximizing our profits.”  This feature could be a step towards honouring that promise.

The development follows a similar “Time Well Spent” tool on Instagram, which was confirmed earlier this month.

iOS and Android have also committed to launching screen-monitoring systems that either alert or lock users out of an app once their daily limit has been reached.

Facebook have been working towards getting rid of the negative stereotype that time is wasted on the app. It is hoped that the new feature will restrict the amount of mindless scrolling, maximise users time and encourage them to actively socialise with their friends online.

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