LegalTok: TikTok adds a mindfulness feature

It’s about to get slightly more difficult to spam your bestie’s inbox with endless TikToks before bed.

The app late last week announced it’s adding a new nightly guided-meditation feature designed to interrupt scrolling. It’ll be available for all users—but turned on by default for those under 18.

How it works: At 10 pm, anyone under 18’s FYP will be overtaken by a blue screen and relaxing music, with the user guided to “inhale,” “hold,” and “exhale.” If the mediation is dismissed for more scrolling, a second full-screen prompt will appear after an hour with a message encouraging a 15-minute break from the app.

It’s probably about legal appeasement: TikTok is facing lawsuits from 13 states and the District of Columbia that accuse the platform of creating an intentionally addictive app that harms children and teenagers while making false claims to the public about its commitment to safety. The meditation feature, along with multiple other new safeguards for teens and increased funding for the company’s Mental Health Education Fund, appears to be a direct response.

Meanwhile…The TikTok ban is set to go into effect on June 19. Though it’s a bit of a déjà vu-all-over again situation: President Trump, who has extended the deadline twice since taking office, said earlier this month he would extend it once again should no deal be reached prior.