WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide

Success criterion 2.2.2 makes sure moving and self-updating content does not stop people from using the rest of the page. Motion pulls attention away from reading, which is hard for people with attention deficit or cognitive disabilities, and moving text is hard to read for people with low vision or reading difficulties. It is level A and part of EN 301 549 (clause 9.2.2.2).

What the criterion requires

Moving, blinking or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than five seconds and (3) is shown in parallel with other content must have a mechanism to pause, stop or hide it — unless the movement is essential to the activity.

Auto-updating information that (1) starts automatically and (2) is shown in parallel with other content must have a mechanism to pause, stop or hide it, or to control how often it updates — unless the updating is essential.

Notes from WCAG:

• flashing is covered separately by 2.3.1;
• a loading animation can be considered essential if nobody can interact during that phase and hiding progress could make the page look broken;
• because moving content can disturb the whole page, all content must meet this criterion (non-interference).

Typical failures on an online shop

• a hero slider or product carousel that rotates forever with no pause button;
• a scrolling announcement bar ("Free shipping over €50 · New collection …");
• a background video in the header that loops with no control;
• a "12 people are viewing this" or "Anna from Berlin just bought…" popup that keeps updating;
• legacy <marquee> or <blink> elements in old product descriptions or banners.

How to check it

Automated: our checker flags <marquee> and <blink> elements (see the rule library). Carousels, videos, CSS and JavaScript animations are not reliably detectable, so most of this criterion needs a manual check.

By hand: load each key page and wait at least five seconds without touching anything. Note everything that moves, scrolls, blinks or updates by itself. For each one, find a pause, stop or hide control, check it is visible and works from the keyboard, and check the content stays stopped.

How to fix it

• Add a visible, keyboard-operable pause/play button to carousels and background videos; pausing on hover or focus alone is not enough for everyone.
• Better still, do not auto-rotate: let customers move between slides themselves.
• Respect prefers-reduced-motion to stop non-essential animation for users who ask for less motion.
• Remove <marquee> and <blink> and replace scrolling tickers with static text.
• Let users close or turn off live "social proof" notifications.

Related criteria

• 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold — flashing content and seizures.
• 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable — time limits must be adjustable.
• 2.1.1 Keyboard — the pause control must work from the keyboard.

Frequently asked questions

Does an auto-rotating carousel fail WCAG 2.2.2?

Only if it starts automatically, moves for more than five seconds alongside other content and offers no way to pause, stop or hide it. A visible pause button that works from the keyboard solves it.

What is the five-second rule in WCAG 2.2.2?

Moving, blinking or scrolling content that starts automatically and lasts five seconds or less does not need a pause control. Anything longer, shown in parallel with other content, does.

Does 2.2.2 cover background videos and animated GIFs?

Yes, if they move automatically for more than five seconds next to other content. Flashing that could cause seizures is a separate criterion, 2.3.1.