BERLIN: TikTok, with its endless feed of auto-playing viral videos, is notoriously hard to put down. But the social media app is now the latest to add digital wellbeing features prompting users to take a break from endless scrolling.

After Instagram added an artificial end to its feed of posts, TikTok is now starting to prompt users to take a break after a certain amount of time.

Researchers have attributed the rise of TikTok’s popularity to various designs that give it addictive qualities, such as a slot machine-like interface, the ability to scroll infinitely and an AI-supported feed of videos that adapts to the user’s preferences.

Social media addiction has also been linked with various negative health impacts, notably depression in younger people.

TikTok, which already allows users to set screen time limits on how much you can use the app in one day, says a new feature will appear in the coming weeks allowing users to set how much time they spend on TikTok in one session.

Google and Apple already offer a similar function in the latest versions of smartphone operating systems, allowing users to set app limits and receive prompts when it's time for bed.

TikTok says it’s also launching a so-called screen time dashboard so you can see statistics on how often you open the app, how long you use it every day and at what times. You can also set up a weekly reminder to take a look at the dashboard.

Younger people between the ages of 13 and 17 are set to be reminded by default once a week to keep an eye on their digital wellbeing. If someone in this age group has used TikTok for more than 100 minutes in one day, the app will remind him or her the next time he or she opens it that there are features to control screen time.

 - dpa