Pinterest Takes Steps to Curb Teen App Usage During School Hours

Pinterest is testing a new feature aimed at reducing app usage among teens during school hours. The initiative, which targets users aged 13 to 17 in the U.S. and Canada, displays prompts discouraging app use between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays.

The prompt gently asks users to “Stay in the moment by putting Pinterest down and pausing notifs until the school bell rings.” Although users can dismiss the alert, Pinterest’s broader push to foster healthier digital habits among younger audiences is an ongoing process that the company has clearly geared itself towards – this large-scale trial run of the idea will apparently reach “millions” of school-age users on the platform.

Beyond in-app features, Pinterest is collaborating with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to establish “Digital Innovation Wellbeing Task Forces” across 12 school districts. The initiative seeks to shift the conversation from device restriction to teaching digital citizenship, addressing a gap noted by ISTE: while 98% of educators believe digital citizenship is essential, only 36% say it’s currently prioritized in their schools.

Pinterest has also voiced support for pending legislation in Texas that would limit student smartphone use during class, a bill that would require teachers to secure devices out of sight during instructional periods. These proactive steps may not be especially popular among the teens they’re targeting, but Pinterest is clearly pushing to avoid causing disruption in school hours, something that other platforms may eventually follow suit on.