Instagram launches 'Quiet Mode' to help teens focus on studies and sleep

Meta's Instagram on Thursday launched a new feature called “Quiet Mode" in a bid to expand its time management tools section.

This feature aims to reduce users’ anxiety about taking time off from the app by silencing incoming notifications, auto-replying to DMs, and setting your status to ‘In Quiet Mode’ to inform friends that you’re not active on the app at present.

Along with this feature, the social media platform has rolled out a bunch of other features focusing on the safety of teenagers on the app, including more parental control tools and other tools to manage recommendations.

This is not the first time Instagram is trying to come up with features that help users manage their time. The app already has a feature that helps to know, track and control daily time spent on the app, it sends them alerts. There is also a feature to configure "take a break" reminders after individual app sessions extend beyond a certain amount of time, and various tools to pause, snooze, restrict and unfollow pages, groups, and people to help further reduce engagement with addictive or otherwise unwanted content.

However, the Quient Mode is different as it focuses on the real-world impacts that accompany trying to step away for a bit from an app that you regularly use — and one where others expect you to be available. This mode allows Instagram users to take a break — to study, to sleep, or to otherwise disengage. It’s like the Instagram equivalent of turning your instant messaging light off. When a user chooses to exit Quiet Mode, the app will offer a summary of what you missed during your downtime to help you get caught up.

Meta's President, Global Affairs, Nick Clegg tweeted, "We’ll prompt teenage users to turn on ‘Quiet Mode’ - teens have told us they’re looking for more ways to focus while studying, during school and at night. It’s available today for all users in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and more countries soon."

Meanwhile, Meta and its family of apps have been bringing updates regularly to protect teens from online harassment and unsolicited advertisements.