SC 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide
Provide mechanisms for users to pause, stop, or hide distracting or auto-updating content.
- Moving, Blinking, or Scrolling: If content starts automatically, lasts > 5 seconds, and appears alongside other content, users must be able to pause, stop, or hide it.
- Auto-updating: If content updates automatically and appears alongside other content, users must be able to pause, stop, hide it, or control the update frequency.
- Exceptions: Content where the movement, blinking, or updating is essential to the activity.
2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide: For moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating information, all of the following are true:
- Moving, blinking, or scrolling: For any moving, blinking, or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than five seconds, and (3) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it unless the movement, blinking, or scrolling is part of an activity where it is essential; and
- Auto-updating: For any auto-updating information that (1) starts automatically and (2) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it or to control the frequency of the update unless the auto-updating is part of an activity where it is essential.
SC 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide supports the principle of Operable because its intent is to allow users to use the Web page or software without distractions. “Content that moves or auto-updates can be a barrier to anyone who has trouble reading stationary text quickly as well as anyone who has trouble tracking moving objects.” It can also cause screen readers to either read information out of sequence, or become overloaded attempting to keep up with the changing information onscreen. Moving content can also be a severe distraction for some people. Certain groups, particularly those with attention deficit disorders, find blinking content distracting, making it difficult for them to concentrate on other parts of the Web page.
The five second minimum time requirement is intended to allow for some moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating content to occur while also allowing the user to operate the content.
Examples of these kinds of content may be videos, animations, scrolling stock tickers, audio, weather, or news areas on the screen that automatically update, etc.
If there is any moving, blinking, or scrolling content that starts automatically and lasts for more than five seconds, the user must be able to pause, stop, or hide it unless it is essential to the current activity, i.e., you cannot complete the current activity without it.
If there is any auto-updating information that starts automatically and is shown alongside other content, the same requirement applies unless the auto-updating is essential to the current activity.
The differences are that for auto-updating information:
- There is no five-second exception (since auto-updating content usually lasts for a longer time), and
- One solution is to allow the user to control the frequency of the updates.
Since any content that does not meet this SC can interfere with a user’s ability to use the whole page, all content on the Web page (whether it is used to meet other SC(s) or not) must meet this SC.
Impact of Nonconformance with SC 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide
| Type of Disability | Description of Impact |
|---|---|
| 302.1 Without Vision | Users who are blind cannot use a mouse to interact with electronic content and typically use an assistive technology, such as a screen reader, to get audible or other alternative output for the information represented visually. To be able to navigate the content, understand its structure and relationships, and understand the meaning of content represented in graphics and images, the content must provide textual and programmatic cues in addition to the content presented purely visually. |
| 302.2 With Limited Vision | Users with limited vision may have widely different visual perception. Individuals with limited vision may or may not use assistive technologies. Therefore, in addition to textual and programmatic cues necessary for assistive technologies, ICT must also present content consistently and predictably. Users who view content with magnifiers may not pick up alerts, warnings, or other content if such content is presented outside of a consistent and predictable navigation pattern or if the content is not itself viewable at large magnification. Content that becomes distorted when magnified can also prevent some users with limited vision from being able to understand or interact with the content. |
| Photosensitive epilepsy/photosensitive seizure disorders | Some users may be vulnerable to seizures from content that flashes, blinks, or pulses. Flashing could, therefore, interfere with a user’s ability to interact with content or could make the content entirely unusable. Content designers and developers must not include any content that could cause seizures. |
| 302.9 With Limited Language, Cognitive, and Learning Abilities | Some users require more time than average to process information while others may find complicated instructions difficult to follow. Furthermore, some ICT content can distract or overwhelm users, preventing them from being able to interact with or understand other ICT content. Designers and developers of ICT must consider a broad range of cognitive abilities in order to provide ICT that is simple and easy to use. |
Applicability of Success Criteria 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide
| Technology | Applicability of SC 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide |
|---|---|
| All (Web, Software, Office documents, PDFs, Mobile Native) | Content authors and developers might include moving, blinking, and/or scrolling content in things like animated images, videos, or simple elements with styled transitions. Providing a method to pause, stop, or hide the content could be as simple as a play/pause button in a media player or could include more complex coding to provide a customized function. Auto-updating information would typically involve custom scripts and would likewise typically require customized functionality to pause, stop, or hide it. |