2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide

1. What is the goal of this criterion?

Today’s web is full of moving content – like that hyperactive intern who just can’t sit still. Blinking ad banners, scrolling news tickers, auto-rotating carousels and constantly updating stock prices all compete for our attention. But what if all that motion isn’t helpful, just distracting?

People with attention deficit disorders, cognitive disabilities or low vision can be heavily distracted by content that keeps moving. If you navigate with a screen reader, changing content can throw you off track.

The goal of Success Criterion 2.2.2 is clear: users should be in control of moving, blinking or auto-updating content – able to pause, stop or hide it.

2. What exactly does it require?

It covers two kinds of content:

Moving, blinking or scrolling content that

• starts automatically,
• lasts more than five seconds, and
• is shown in parallel with other content.

For this content, there must be a mechanism to pause, stop or hide it.

Auto-updating content that

• starts automatically, and
• is shown in parallel with other content.

Here, users must be able to pause, stop or hide it, or control how often it updates.

Content is not affected if:

• the movement or updating is essential to the activity (for example, a loading animation, as long as no interaction is possible while loading anyway),
• it isn’t shown in parallel with other content (for example, a full-screen animation with nothing else on the page).

Important: the criterion applies to the whole page – a single distracting element can affect the use of the entire page. For flickering and flashing content, the rules in Three Flashes or Below Threshold also apply.

3. Why does it matter for accessibility?

Imagine trying to read an important article while an ad keeps blinking right next to it. Or you’re using a screen reader and get interrupted every few seconds by a changing live ticker.

Controllable moving content improves accessibility because it:

• lets people with ADHD and other attention disorders focus on what matters,
• protects people with vestibular disorders from dizziness and nausea caused by motion,
• spares screen reader users constant interruptions,
• helps people with reading difficulties or cognitive disabilities read moving text at their own pace,
• helps everyone concentrate on important tasks.

And not least: it makes browsing much less stressful and creates a calmer, more pleasant experience for everyone.

4. How to meet the criterion

The good news: less is usually more. Here are some proven strategies:

Ground rules for moving content:

• Avoid auto-starting animations and videos where you can.
• Limit automatic motion to five seconds at most.
• Otherwise, always offer clearly visible buttons to pause, stop or hide it.
• Make these controls keyboard accessible.

For auto-updating content:

• Provide clearly labelled controls: “Pause live updates”, “Stop updating”.
• Offer options for update frequency (for example every 30 seconds, every minute, manually).
• Let people know that content updates and how to control it.

Technical implementation:

• Give carousels and sliders a pause/play button that really stops the rotation.
• Also stop rotation while an element in the carousel has keyboard focus or is hovered – as an addition, not a replacement for the button.
• For CSS animations, use animation-play-state: paused to stop them via a button.
• Respect prefers-reduced-motion as well. It’s a good extra, but it doesn’t replace a visible mechanism on the page.
• Don’t use the obsolete <marquee> element.
• Use live regions (aria-live) sparingly: if a ticker updates constantly, the announcements should be possible to pause too.

Good practice:

• Place controls visibly near the moving content – ideally before it in the focus order.
• Combine icons (play/pause) with text labels.
• Remember the state: paused content should stay paused, even when navigating to another page.
• Test with people who rely on assistive technologies.

A related criterion is Animation from Interactions; for audio that plays automatically, see Audio Control.

5. Why this criterion matters for businesses

Success Criterion 2.2.2 shows once again that accessibility isn’t an end in itself – it brings tangible benefits.

1. A wider audience

People who are distracted or affected by moving content make up a larger share of the population than many assume. According to the WHO, around 1.3 billion people worldwide live with a significant disability. Add everyone who is stressed, tired or in a busy environment.

2. More focus on what matters

Less distraction means more attention for what counts – your calls to action, products or content. People who don’t have to fight a rotating banner find what they’re looking for faster.

3. Saving resources

Less moving content means less processing load and lower battery drain – especially important on mobile devices.

And finally: 2.2.2 is a Level A criterion and therefore part of WCAG 2.1 AA, which the harmonised standard EN 301 549 references. Under the European Accessibility Act (EAA), many consumer services such as online shops must meet these requirements; in Germany, the EAA is implemented by the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG), which has applied since 28 June 2025. This is general information, not legal advice.

6. The success criterion in the W3C’s words

Success Criterion 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A)

For moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating information, all of the following are true:

• Moving, blinking, 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.

Note 1: For requirements related to flickering or flashing content, refer to Guideline 2.3.

Note 2: Since any content that does not meet this success criterion 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 success criteria or not) must meet this success criterion. See Conformance Requirement 5: Non-Interference.

Note 3: Content that is updated periodically by software or that is streamed to the user agent is not required to preserve or present information that is generated or received between the initiation of the pause and resuming presentation, as this may not be technically possible, and in many situations could be misleading to do so.

Note 4: An animation that occurs as part of a preload phase or similar situation can be considered essential if interaction cannot occur during that phase for all users and if not indicating progress could confuse users or cause them to think that content was frozen or broken.

In short: moving, blinking or scrolling content that starts automatically, runs for more than five seconds and sits alongside other content, as well as auto-updating content, must be possible to pause, stop or hide – unless the motion is essential.