What this criterion requires
Any moving, blinking or scrolling content that starts automatically, lasts more than 5 seconds and sits alongside other content must have a pause, stop or hide control. Auto-updating content needs the same or a frequency control.
Who it helps
People with attention or cognitive disabilities who cannot read while things move; screen magnifier users.
Example: fails vs passes
<div class="carousel" data-autoplay="5000"><!-- no pause control --></div><div class="carousel" data-autoplay="5000">
<button type="button" class="carousel-pause" aria-pressed="false">Pause</button>
</div>Anything auto-moving longer than 5 seconds needs pause/stop/hide. Better: respect prefers-reduced-motion and do not auto-play at all.
How to meet and fix it
- Add a visible pause button to carousels, tickers and auto-playing animations
- Respect prefers-reduced-motion and simply not auto-animate
- Let users pause live-updating feeds
Common failures auditors find
- Auto-rotating hero carousels with no pause control - one of the most common failures on marketing sites
- News tickers and animated banners that cannot be stopped
Automated scanning catches a share of these instantly - run a free check - and a manual audit covers the judgement calls a tool cannot make.
- W3C, Understanding 2.2.2: Pause, Stop, Hide - w3.org/WAI
- W3C, How to Meet 2.2.2 (quick reference) - w3.org/WAI/quickref
Last updated . Reviewed by the EqualWeb accessibility team.
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