I doubt Instagram and YouTube are adding these “screen time analytics” and TikTok is making ads that encourage you to take a break from the app out of the kindness of their hearts and genuine concern for our wellbeing…. right? Is this a result of some kind of law, mandating that these kinds of features have to exist? Or does this actually help their business somehow?
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Like others have said it delays government crackdown on firms, but there’s also a certain benefit to getting the customer to moderate themselves. It reduces the odds that they burn out and leave the platform. A similar effect is observable in many mobile games, where players are moderated from overusing the software by stamina systems and such. Instead of playing nonstop for several days and then never again, it encourages a routine interaction with the game, improving retention. For those truly committed to playing the hell out of it, they add microtransactions that restore your ability to engage with the game. This is only a few steps ahead of how social media engagement loops work.
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