Are you constantly glued to your phone, scrolling endlessly through social media or playing just one more game level?

A lot of us are.

Smartphones are powerful tools. However, they can also be major time-wasters.

Through our phones, it's easy to spend excessive amounts of time on addictive apps.

Whether it's social media, games, or streaming services, these apps can consume a significant portion of our day — negatively impacting productivity, sleep, and mental well-being.

Setting time limits on these apps can help promote a healthier balance between screen time and real life.

Luckily, both iPhone and Android have built-in features to help you set limits on those addictive apps.

Why Setting a Time Limit Is Helpful

Establishing time limits on apps is crucial for several reasons:

• It helps prevent overuse and addiction, allowing for more productive and meaningful activities.
• It can improve mental health by reducing exposure to potentially harmful content and decreasing feelings of anxiety or depression associated with excessive screen time.
• It promotes better sleep hygiene by minimizing late-night use of stimulating apps.

How to Turn on Time Limit Feature on iPhone

For iPhone users, Apple’s Screen Time feature provides a straightforward way to manage app usage:

Step 1: Open “Settings”. Unlock your iPhone. Locate the “Settings” app on your home screen and tap to open it.

Step 2: Scroll down and find the “Screen Time” option. Tap on “Screen Time” to enter its settings.

Step 3: If “Screen Time” is not already enabled, tap on “Turn On Screen Time”. Tap “Continue” when prompted with the introduction screens explaining what “Screen Time” does.

Step 4: Choose between “This is My (device)” or “This is My Child's (device)”, depending on who will be using the device. If you select This is “My Child's (device)”, follow the additional prompts to set up parental controls and restrictions.

Step 5: Tap “App Limits” to set daily time limits for specific app categories. Tap “Add Limit”, select the app categories you want to limit, and set the desired time limit.

Tap “Downtime” to schedule time away from the screen. Turn on “Downtime” and set a start and end time during which only apps you choose to allow (like phone calls or educational apps) will be accessible.

<aside> ✍️ Note: You can customize these limits for different days of the week, offering flexibility to adapt to your schedule.

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If any of the above steps is confusing, here is a YouTube video that shows how to do all this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIAGBbv_4qM

How to Turn on Time Limit Feature on Android Phones

Android users can use Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls to manage app usage: