Pinterest has set up an in-app prompt in the UK and France to encourage students to close the app during school hours and turn off all device notifications, as schools in the UK reopen this week.
When a teenager’s account is opened in the Pinterest app during school hours, a message pops up encouraging them to turn off the app along with all phone notifications. Pinterest users in the UK must be over 13 years old.
A version launched in Canada and the US earlier this year resulted in 1.3 million students viewing and clicking on the prompt in under one month.
According to Pinterest, users in North America welcomed the feature but felt that the messages read as if written by a parent or a teacher. In response Pinterest tweaked the copy so that it had a more casual, peer-to-peer tone, employing such phrases as “busy being brilliant?” and “take a break”.
The prompt guides teens on controlling device notifications more broadly. Pinterest does not automatically do this for them but instead allows the teen to make a decision, balancing gentle guidance with user autonomy. Users can disable the feature in their device's notification settings.
Bill Ready, chief executive of Pinterest, said: “In the classroom, students need the opportunity to learn without the constant distraction of apps on their phones. Limiting the use of phones in schools is a topic more prevalent than ever amongst educators and the government, but to be truly effective, tech companies need to be part of the solution. Pinterest is setting out to support students, parents and teachers, who should not shoulder the responsibility alone.”
Almost 40% of teenagers said tools such as prompts or settings to gently remind them to pause would help them manage their screen time more effectively, according to Pinterest data.
Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, called on other tech companies to follow Pinterest’s lead and make “responsible contributions” to protect the mental health of young people.
Apple and Android phones offer a manual "Do Not Disturb" feature, which silences notifications.
Rowland said, “We welcome the introduction of this measure by Pinterest. Digital platforms can offer opportunities for creativity, connection and self-expression. But they should be used in ways that support, rather than undermine, mental health. As a society, we are still in the process of establishing where the boundaries should lie when it comes to technology, and what healthy and unhealthy use looks like. But one thing is clear – school should be a place for learning and developing real-world relationships with peers.”
Pinterest has not announced whether the in-app prompt will be launched in other regions, including Asia.
