Introducing Bumble Snooze
How much time do you spend each day using apps on your phone? Twenty minutes? A half hour? Try two hours a day, if you're anything like the average woman.
In a recent survey of both Bumble users and non-Bumble users, one in three women reported using apps on their phone for over two hours a day. And 22% of young women between 18 and 24 are scrolling through their smartphone apps for over four hours daily.
At the same time, 60% of the women recently surveyed by Bumble sociologist Dr. Jessica Carbino said social media overwhelmingly influences their mood.
“On social media, young women can develop unrealistic perceptions of what they should be or how others see them," she said. "These unrealistic expectations may ultimately have negative consequences for their physical and emotional well-being.”
Bumble wants to empower our users of all genders to take a break from their digital lives. On September 6, we're introducing Snooze, a new feature allowing users to pause their activity and focus on self-care and offline, 'IRL' communications.
Snooze includes options for prioritizing mental well-being, taking a digital detox, or simply going on vacation.
For Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, the impetus to launch Snooze was partly a personal one. This week, she spoke out on the anxiety she's experienced as a result of social media use, as well as advocating for regular breaks from smartphone apps.
“The impact of social media, especially on young women, has the potential to be very harmful," she said. "We have a responsibility to give our users the power to disconnect on their own terms whenever they see fit. We know Snooze will allow them to come back to us feeling refreshed and more open to new connections.”
To turn on Snooze and pause activity in the app, users can go to the Settings menu, enable Snooze mode and select the desired time period for their break. As an option, they can set an away message to let their matches know about their temporary hiatus.