Web Governance
Blinking text must not be used
2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide
This document provides information about the related Acquia Web Governance accessibility check:
Blinking text must not be used.
Blinking text created with the <blink> HTML element must not be used.
The <blink> tag is deprecated and should not appear in the code.
Content that blinks and cannot be paused or stopped can cause serious issues for users with cognitive or neurological disabilities, such as photosensitive epilepsy. The <blink> element creates automatic blinking with no built-in way for users to stop it. This can be distracting, overwhelming, or even trigger seizures in sensitive individuals. To ensure a safe and accessible experience, all visual movement must be controllable by the user.
This check affects the following users who have:
Neurological impairments: Who may experience seizures, dizziness, or other physical reactions triggered by flashing or blinking content.
Cognitive impairments: Who may find blinking elements distracting, making it harder to focus or complete tasks on the website.
Carlos Ríos is a 34-year-old man from Buenos Aires, Argentina, working as a librarian at a local university. He sustained a brain injury in a car accident, which causes difficulties in understanding instructions at times. Despite this, he has developed strategies to adapt and continues to perform his job with great dedication.
"One thing that really throws me off when I’m researching online is when there’s content that blinks or flashes on the screen. It’s usually ads or attention-grabbing banners, and I just... I cannot focus. Every time something flashes, my attention is pulled away from the text I’m trying to read. My brain keeps reacting to the blinking instead of staying with the article. I get frustrated because I want to understand the content, but those constant flashes make it exhausting. Honestly, it makes me want to give up on the site altogether. Why can’t they just let us turn that stuff off?"
This section provides some examples of the issue.
A website includes a blinking marketing message to attract user attention to a sale:
<blink>Limited time offer – 50% off!</blink>
This use of the <blink> element creates flashing content that cannot be paused or stopped by the user. It may distract users with cognitive impairments or trigger adverse reactions in users with neurological conditions. Additionally, since <blink> is deprecated and not supported in modern browsers, the content may not be rendered consistently or accessibly.
This section provides information on how to identify and fix this type of error.
Acquia Web Governance flags the use of the <blink> element in the HTML code. You must remove all instances of this element from the code.
Blinking content should generally be avoided, as it can be disruptive or harmful to some users. If a blinking effect is still desired, it should be implemented with CSS animations along with a visible button that allows users to stop the blinking. This ensures that the content remains accessible to users with cognitive or neurological impairments.
This section contains useful resources for this subject.
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If this content did not answer your questions, try searching or contacting our support team for further assistance.
Web Governance