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Pinterest Launches School-Hours Focus Prompt for Teens

The platform is testing a pop-up feature in the US and Canada to encourage minors to pause app usage during school hours, alongside a $1 million grant to support digital wellbeing initiatives.

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Overview

  • The new feature targets teens aged 13 to 17, prompting them to close the app and pause notifications from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Pinterest describes the initiative as a large-scale experiment, reaching millions of users in the US and Canada to promote focus during school hours.
  • The prompt reads, 'Focus is a beautiful thing. Stay in the moment by putting Pinterest down and pausing notifs until the school bell rings.'
  • A $1 million grant was announced to fund digital wellbeing task forces in 12 US school districts through a partnership with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
  • This move aligns with CEO Bill Ready’s support for phone-free school policies and the Kids Online Safety Act, as schools increasingly adopt smartphone restrictions.