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You Can Now See How Much Time You Waste on Facebook, Instagram

There's now a way to see how much time you spend on the Instagram and Facebook apps each day, on average. Another new option lets you specify how much time you want to spend on the apps in a given day so you'll get an alert when you reach that limit.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Feel like you spend too much time on social media? Facebook just introduced some new tools that can help you curb your addiction to its platforms.

Because the first step to fixing a problem is realizing you have one, there's now a way to see how much time you spend on the Instagram and Facebook apps each day, on average. Gather up your courage and head over to the settings page on the Facebook or Instagram app; on Instagram, tap "Your Activity" and on Facebook tap "Your Time on Facebook." Doing so will bring up a dashboard showing your usage stats.

On the down side, the stats only show how much time you spent using the app on that device. It won't include the time you spent browsing Facebook or Instagram on your desktop at work, for instance.

Facebook anti-addiction tools

Underneath the dashboard, you'll find a new option called "Set Daily Reminder." This will let you specify how much time you want to spend on Facebook or Instagram in a given day – say, 15 minutes – so you'll get an alert when you reach that self-imposed limit.

Facebook is also introducing a new way to limit your notifications when you need to focus. Underneath the option to set a daily reminder, you'll see "Notification Settings." Tap that to access the new "Mute Push Notifications" setting.

"We want the time people spend on Facebook and Instagram to be intentional, positive and inspiring," Instagram Product Management Director Ameet Ranadive and Facebook Director of Research David Ginsberg wrote in a Wednesday blog post. "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."

Facebook said it developed these new tools in collaboration with mental health experts and academics using feedback from the community.

Facebook earlier this year changed up its News Feed ranking algorithm to start showing users more posts from family, friends, and groups they are part of, and less content from businesses, brands, and media organizations – a move intended to make the service better for people's well-being. The social network in December acknowledged that passively reading your Facebook News Feed isn't always good for your mental health. Those who interact with posts (commenting, liking, etc.) tend to feel better about themselves than those who just scroll and scroll, the company found.

Meanwhile, Instagram recently introduced a feature that informs you when you've seen every new post from the last two days, so you'll know you're caught up and can quit scrolling.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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