WCAG 3.2.5 — Change on Request

What this requires

Changes of context are initiated only by user request, or a mechanism is available to turn off such changes. "Change of context" includes new window openings, focus moves, content replacement, and page refreshes. The criterion is the AAA tightening of 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 — context changes need explicit user action, or an off switch.

How AI coding tools fail this

When asked to add "auto-refresh the dashboard every 60 seconds", AI tools schedule a periodic re-fetch that updates page state without user request. The criterion is satisfied if the refresh doesn't substantively change context — a stock price ticker updating in place is fine — but a full page reload or major content swap is not.

The second pattern: marketing sites that auto-rotate hero carousels or auto-advance steps in a "how it works" section. The content changes without user input.

The third: routing that opens new tabs without an explicit user gesture. Programmatic window.open calls from useEffect change context unilaterally.

Failing examples

A dashboard with an auto-reload on a fixed interval:

useEffect(() => {
  const id = setInterval(() => location.reload(), 60_000);
  return () => clearInterval(id);
}, []);

A hero carousel that auto-advances with no pause control:

useEffect(() => {
  const id = setInterval(() => setIndex((i) => i + 1), 4000);
  return () => clearInterval(id);
}, []);

Passing examples

Refresh data in place without reloading the page, and let the user trigger refreshes manually:

const { data, refetch } = useDashboardData();

return (
  <>
    <button onClick={refetch}>Refresh</button>
    <Dashboard data={data} />
  </>
);

A carousel that doesn't auto-advance, or one that lets the user pause (see 2.2.2):

<Carousel autoPlay={false}>
  {/* slides */}
</Carousel>

Edge cases

In-place data updates that don't reorder or replace surrounding content (a live counter, a price tick) are fine — no context change.
Auto-refresh as a destructive page reload is a fail.
Carousels and auto-advance must offer pause/stop (2.2.2).
<meta http-equiv="refresh"> with a non-zero timer is a classic fail — visible refresh after a delay.
AAA target. Most projects target AA's 3.2.1 / 3.2.2.

How Jeikin handles this

The scanner flags <meta http-equiv="refresh">, setInterval calls that perform navigation or full reloads, and programmatic window.open calls outside event handlers. The dashboard records each finding and tracks the move to user-initiated equivalents.

References

W3C — Understanding 3.2.5 Change on Request (opens in new tab)