Facebook Could Soon Notify Users if They Are Spending Too Much Time on It

A social media company’s main source of revenue is its users. The more time users spend on the platform the more money the company stands to make. However, it seems Facebook might be developing a feature designed to discourage users from spending too much time on the social network. If so, how much is it going to affect the company’s bottom line?

The first to notice the feature was Jane Manchun Wong, an engineer who has been known to dig up fairly obscure codes to learn their secrets. Wong posted her findings on Twitter, along with images of a feature that tracks time spent on Facebook.

“Facebook is working on ‘Your Time on Facebook’ which could help users to manage their time spent on Facebook app,” Wong Tweeted.

The idea behind the feature, which has yet to be released, is to show users how much time they are spending on the app, Business Insider reports. It even allows users to customize their experience by setting time limits. Basically, users decide on how much time they should spend using Facebook and once they’ve hit that limit, they’ll be notified.

Facebook has already confirmed the existence of the feature to TechCrunch, with a spokesperson explaining why they are working on it. In some ways, the answer is typical of a modern tech company, but it’s difficult to apply to the social network.

"We're always working on new ways to help make sure people's time on Facebook is time well spent," the spokesperson said.

While it’s true that other tech firms are providing users with ways to manage their time better, Facebook is primarily a social network firm. This means that its sole existence depends on users spending as much time on it as possible.

This could be the reason why the feature has not been released or why a release date hasn’t been mentioned yet. After all, is anyone supposed to believe that it’s that hard for Facebook to track how much time users spend on its app?