Students will be discouraged from using Pinterest during class time due to a new initiative by the social media platform. Pinterest is testing a feature that encourages users aged 13 to 17 in the United States and Canada to close the app and pause notifications during typical school hours, which are Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The platform has confirmed to Mashable that this experiment will reach millions of school-age users and aims to provide insights for Pinterest’s teams. This initiative was introduced following Pinterest CEO Bill Ready’s endorsement of the Kids Online Safety Act and phone-free school policies as reported in the Washington Post.
The prompt encourages users by stating, “Focus is a beautiful thing,” and suggests that students should stay engaged in their school activities by putting down Pinterest and pausing notifications until the school bell rings.
Furthermore, Pinterest announced a collaboration with the International Society for Technology in Education to create digital citizenship and well-being action plans through newly formed Digital Innovation Wellbeing Task Forces. Wanji Walcott, Pinterest’s chief legal and business affairs officer, emphasized the company’s belief that technology can enhance the educational experience while minimizing distractions and potential harms. Walcott highlighted the importance of collaboration among tech companies, educators, parents, and policymakers to ensure smartphones are used as educational tools rather than distractions.
