LONDON: TikTok revealed on Thursday a new screen time control feature that allows users to set custom limits for how much time they want to spend on the app, encouraging users to take a break from continuous scrolling.
This new feature is similar to previous screen time controls, which timed out after a designated daily limit, including more than 40, 60, 90 or 120 minutes.
The new setting, however, allows users to set up a reminder through the app to “take a break” if they have had it open for an extended period of time.
“These prompts will remind people to take a break after a certain amount of uninterrupted screen time, which they can set as they choose,” said Jordan Furlong, TikTok’s product manager of digital well-being.
The company also said it will issue users between the ages of 13 and 17 “digital well-being prompts” when they have used the app for more than 100 minutes in a single day.
Furlong said that the prompts will “remind them of our screen time limit tool the next time they open the app.”
The new features will also be accompanied by a screen time dashboard, which offers daily data on how much time users have spent on the app. Users can opt for weekly notifications to review their screen time dashboard.
These changes come after mounting pressure on social media platforms to regulate “addictive” social media use among teens.
On Thursday, a family sued Meta over their daughter’s eating disorder, self-harm and thoughts of suicide due to her addictive use of Instagram.
The lawsuit follows seven other similar lawsuits filed against Meta, saying that excessive exposure to social media platforms had led to attempted or actual suicide, eating disorders, sleeplessness and other issues.
TikTok adds new screen control feature to reduce continuous scrolling
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TikTok adds new screen control feature to reduce continuous scrolling
- The new setting, however, allows users to set up a reminder through the app to “take a break”
- The new features will also be accompanied by a screen time dashboard
Meta to charge Arab advertisers extra fee for reaching European audiences
- US tech giant told advertisers it will add fees ranging from 2 to 5 percent on image and video ads delivered on its platforms to offset digital service taxes
- Charges are determined by where the audience is located, not where the advertiser is based
LONDON: Meta will from July 1 impose location-based surcharges on advertisers targeting audiences in six European countries, a move that will directly affect Arab businesses that run campaigns across the continent.
The US tech giant announced it will add fees ranging from 2 to 5 percent on image and video ads delivered on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, to offset digital service taxes imposed by individual governments.
Crucially, the charges are determined by where the audience is located, not where the advertiser is based.
That means Saudi, Emirati, Egyptian or other Arab companies paying to reach consumers in the UK, France or Italy will face the additional costs regardless of their own country’s tax arrangements with Meta.
Fees will apply at 2 percent for ads reaching UK audiences, 3 percent for France, Italy and Spain, and 5 percent for Austria and Turkiye.
“If you deliver $100 in ads to Italy, where there is a 3% location fee, you will be charged $100 (ad delivery), plus $3 (location fee), for $103 total,” the company wrote in an email to an advertiser initially reported by Bloomberg. “Note that any applicable VAT will be calculated on top of the total amount.”
The taxes have been introduced at different points, starting with France in 2019, though not the EU as a bloc.
Many tech companies report substantial sales in Europe and millions of users but pay minimal tax on profits. The goal is to claw back locally derived economic value, Bloomberg reported.
The move follows similar decisions by Google and Amazon, which have also begun passing European digital tax costs on to advertisers.
For Arab brands with growing European footprints, particularly in fashion, travel, hospitality and media, the new fees add another layer of cost to campaigns already subject to currency and targeting complexities.
Digital services taxes, levied as a percentage of revenues earned by major tech platforms in individual countries, have drawn criticism from Washington, which argues they unfairly target US companies.
Meta has been reached for comments.
