Instagram has introduced a new “Quiet Mode” to reduce the number of alerts displayed and help users fight smartphone addiction.
Silent mode, rolling out today for UK users, will silence notifications and send automatic replies to direct messages (DMs).
It will also add a new “asleep” status under Instagram profile names, accompanied by a small crescent moon icon for others to see.
Instagram users can toggle silent mode on and off in the app’s settings and set a time period for it to turn on automatically.
Silent mode, rolling out today for global users, will silence notifications, send automatic replies to direct messages (DMs), and add a “in silent mode” status under profile names
How to activate sleep mode
1. Go to “Profile Settings”.
2. Tap on “Notifications”.
3. Tap Quiet Mode.
4. Switch the sleep mode switch to “On”.
5. You can then use the From and To options to select when you want Quiet Mode to turn on
Users are also being asked if they want to turn on silent mode after spending “several minutes” on Instagram at night.
Quiet mode is available to users in the UK, US, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, while other nations will see the rollout “soon”.
According to Meta, Instagram’s parent company, which is owned by Mark Zuckerberg, Quiet Mode is specifically aimed at teens to keep the app focused and set healthy boundaries.
“Today we’re introducing people, especially teenagers, to new ways to manage their time and experiences on Instagram,” reads a blog post.
“These new features reflect our ongoing work to create things that matter to young people and that are really helpful and useful for creators.”
Meta hopes Quiet Mode will encourage users to set limits on friends and followers by letting them know they’re unavailable.
According to the company, the feedback has shown that teenage users often feel pressured to “feel like they need to be available” via the platform.
Users can tap the moon icon under their profile name to see when sleep mode will exit
Reducing the number of notifications from likes and DMs will help Instagram users put their devices down (file photo)
Experts list 10 tips to combat phone addiction
Researchers have listed the top 10 tactics to combat smartphone addiction, with disabling smartphone notifications coming first.
Also included in the list is changing the phone display to “grayscale” so that the display appears black and white, and disabling face recognition as a method of unlocking the screen.
A black and white screen makes smartphones “less enjoyable” to look at compared to the bright colors offered by app icons like Instagram.
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Studies have already shown a link between excessive smartphone use and poor mental health, particularly among teenagers.
However, other studies have shown that a lack of phone notifications contributes to a “fear of missing out” and causes people to check their phone more often.
All Instagram users can find the new sleep mode option by going to Settings followed by Notifications.
If a friend or follower sends a message to someone in silent mode, they’ll get a reply stating they weren’t notified because they had the tool enabled.
Also, users can tap the moon icon under their profile name to see when the mode will end.
Quiet mode is similar to a tool called Take a Break that launched in late 2021 that sends a prompt to stop using the app.
The prompt is, “Do you want a break? Taking regular breaks can help you restart. You can now turn on reminders to take breaks when it makes sense for you.”
Users then have the option to tap “Turn on” or “Not now.” If they select “Turn on,” they can receive reminders to take a break for either 10, 20, or 30 minutes.
Also starting today is an update to Instagram’s Hidden Words tool, which previously hid offensive DM requests and comments.
The Hidden Words tool allows Instagram users to hide featured posts in Explore that contain specific words, emoji, or hashtags in the caption
With the update, users can now hide featured posts in Explore that contain specific words, emoji, or hashtags in the caption.
Instagram has also given parents more control over their child’s Instagram account, building on a series of features released last year.
Parents can now view their teen’s Instagram account settings, including privacy and content preferences and controls, and receive a notification whenever their child updates a setting or unblocks someone.
Instagram allows users to set up an account if they are 13 or older, but there is an option for parental controls between the ages of 13 and 17.