YouTube on Wednesday announced a new bedtime reminders feature to help even the most dedicated of extremely online types log off late at night. The new feature joins the platform’s existing “take a break” reminders, and both are among a broader set of YouTube wellness and screen time tools released in 2018 as part of Google’s Digital Wellbeing initiative. The ultimate goal is to help users more responsibly use Google products, an issue that’s only intensified during the coronavirus pandemic as more and more of our time is spent inside staring at screens. YouTube says it’s sent 3 billion “take a break” reminders over the last two years. Now, with bedtime reminders, YouTube says you can set “specific times to stop watching videos and (you guessed it!) go to bed,” the company writes in a blog post. “You set start and end times in your Settings, including whether or not you want the prompt to interrupt a video or wait until the video is over. You’ll also be able to dismiss or snooze the reminder.” YouTube says the feature will be available on its Android and iOS apps starting today, but it will likely take a few days to roll out to everyone.
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