YouTube is finally bringing a sleep timer to its video and music streaming platform, at least for its Premium users willing to explore YouTube's experimental features.
First spotted by TechCrunch, YouTube is testing out a new feature to essentially limit people's time on the platform past bedtime. The test period is available until Sept. 2.
The sleep timer can reportedly be adjusted to pause the app 10 to 60 minutes after starting a video. Of course, users can also set the sleep timer to start right after the video ends.
More Social Platforms Roll Out Timer Features
Sleep timers are nothing new in social platforms, it is just that it only took YouTube quite some time before releasing its own version.
Spotify and TikTok have earlier added sleep timers on their app as concerns on their user's mental health.
Coincidentally, the introduction of the sleep timer feature on YouTube coincides with the growing scrutiny of its parent company, Google, as social media companies are pressured to make their platforms safer for children.
YouTube Explores More Features to Keep Up with Competition
The sleep timer is not the only new feature YouTube is currently testing out to its users as the streaming platform plays catch up with other streaming sites.
Earlier this week, YouTube also unveiled its own Twitter-style "Community Notes" to allow users to correct inaccurate information on videos on their own.
This is in addition to another AI-powered feature YouTube doled out to its content creators, allowing them to use Google's Gemini AI to "brainstorm" content ideas.
All of the features are currently under testing to select users for a limited time. YouTube has yet to indicate plans to bring the features to more users anytime soon.
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