Time limit tools coming to Facebook and Instagram

Social media platforms Facebook and Instagram are introducing new tools that enable users to set a time limit for how long they spend scrolling through these sites each day.

People will be able to set reminders for when their time limit is nearing its end, and they'll have the power to mute their notifications for set periods of time. Users will also have the option to see how much time they've spent active on these social media channels in a day.

These measures are being introduced in a bid to protect people's wellbeing while using these sites, as spending excessive time scrolling through posts has been shown to negatively impact mental health.

In a joint blog, David Ginsberg of Facebook and Instagram's Ameet Ranadive, explained: "We developed these tools based on collaboration and inspiration from leading mental health experts and organisations, academics, our own extensive research and feedback from our community."

They added that they want to make sure the time people spend on social media is "intentional, positive and inspiring".