Pinterest’s pop-up wants to help teens stay focused in school

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Pinterest is trying out a new way to help teenagers stay focused during school by encouraging them to take a break from the app. 

The company is testing a pop-up message that will appear on the screens of teens aged 13 to 17 in the US and Canada during school hours, from 8 am to 3 pm, Monday through Friday.

When a teen opens the app during these hours, a message will appear: “Focus is a beautiful thing. Stay in the moment by putting Pinterest down and pausing notifications until the school bell rings.” 

The goal is to remind students to stay present and avoid the distractions that come with constant scrolling and notifications.

Pinterest says this is a large-scale test and will reach millions of young users. 

The company is promoting it as a proactive step, one that no other major tech platform has taken so far. 

It comes after Pinterest’s CEO, Bill Ready, showed support for the Kids Online Safety Act and for school policies that limit smartphone use.

This move also aligns with growing efforts in North America and Europe to keep phones out of classrooms. 

In the US, states like New York are considering statewide bans, and several others already have phone restrictions in place. 

In Europe, countries like Denmark and the Netherlands have banned phones in schools, and France will soon require students to lock their phones away during the school day.

In addition to the pop-up feature, Pinterest is donating $1 million to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (Via: The Verge) 

The money will support 12 school districts in the US as they create better policies for students’ digital well-being.

Pinterest says it’s not against technology in schools, but it wants to help schools use tech in a smart way. 

The company says that the goal is to make sure smartphones are tools to help students learn, not distractions that take them off track.

What do you think about this move from Pinterest? Do you think it’ll have the desired effect? Tell us your thoughts below in the comments, or via our Twitter or Facebook.