Doomscrolling can turn a quick check of the news or social media into an hour of reading upsetting headlines, watching videos and refreshing feeds. Many people reach for their phones automatically throughout the day, often spending more time scrolling than they originally intended.
Fortunately, reducing phone use does not require abandoning smartphones or deleting every social media account. Modern iPhones and Android devices offer tools that can make distracting apps less appealing, limit screen time and encourage healthier habits.
Researchers have also examined the connection between doomscrolling and emotional well-being. A September 2026 review published in Frontiers in Psychology analyzed 44 studies and found associations between doomscrolling and anxiety, depression and psychological distress.
The researchers cautioned that the evidence does not establish whether doomscrolling directly causes these problems. Still, reducing unwanted scrolling can help people regain control of their daily routines and spend more time on activities they value.
1. Switch Your Phone to Grayscale
One of the simplest ways to make a smartphone less visually appealing is to remove its bright colors. Switching to grayscale turns the display black and white, making colorful social media feeds, videos and app icons less visually stimulating.
On an iPhone, open Settings, select Accessibility, choose Display & Text Size and then open Color Filters. Turn on Color Filters and select Grayscale.
Android users can often find a similar setting under Digital Wellbeing or Accessibility. On Google Pixel phones, grayscale is available through Bedtime mode and can be scheduled to activate automatically.
The idea is to make opening distracting apps less rewarding visually. Although grayscale is not a proven solution for everyone, it is a free setting worth experimenting with for several days.
People who need color for photographs, design work or navigation can turn the feature off whenever necessary. Scheduling grayscale during evenings may be more practical than leaving it enabled throughout the day.
2. Set Daily Limits for Distracting Apps
Screen-time limits help establish boundaries around applications that repeatedly consume more time than intended. Both Apple and Google provide built-in tools for monitoring usage and setting restrictions.
On an iPhone, open Settings, select Screen Time and choose App Limits. Users can establish daily limits for individual applications or entire categories, such as social networking.
On Android, open Settings and select Digital Wellbeing. The App timers feature allows users to choose how long specific applications can remain available each day.
A person spending two hours daily on social media might begin with a 90-minute limit, then reduce it gradually. This approach may be easier to maintain than immediately restricting access to just a few minutes.
These limits are not always permanent barriers because users can change or override them. Their main benefit is making excessive use noticeable and introducing a stopping point.
3. Try Apps That Reward Staying Focused
Some applications encourage people to put their phones down by turning periods of concentration into small games. Instead of simply blocking distractions, they provide visual rewards for completing uninterrupted work or study sessions.
Forest is one example, allowing users to grow virtual trees while concentrating. The longer someone remains focused, the more progress they can make within the application.
Focus Friend, associated with author and science communicator Hank Green, uses a similar idea involving an animated character that progresses while the user avoids distractions. Focus Traveller offers another approach by connecting concentration sessions with a virtual journey.
These applications can make reduced phone use feel more engaging, particularly for people who enjoy tracking achievements. However, their effectiveness varies, and some features may require payment.
The best choice is often the simplest application someone will consistently use. A built-in timer may work just as well for someone who does not want another app.
4. Use Android's Pause Point Before Opening Apps
Google introduced Pause Point in May 2026 to help Android users interrupt automatic scrolling. Rather than immediately opening a distracting application, the feature introduces a short pause.
When a selected app is opened, Pause Point provides a 10-second opportunity to reconsider the decision. Users can complete a breathing exercise, review favorite photographs or set a time limit before continuing.
The feature can also suggest alternative activities through other applications, such as listening to an audiobook. Its purpose is to encourage more deliberate decisions about how someone spends time on a phone.
Google designed Pause Point to be harder to disable impulsively than an ordinary app timer. Turning it off requires restarting the phone, adding another opportunity to reconsider.
Availability can vary by device and software version. Android users should check their Digital Wellbeing options to determine whether Pause Point is supported.
5. Add Physical Barriers With Phone-Blocking Devices
For people who regularly ignore digital reminders, a physical device may provide a stronger boundary. Products such as Brick use a separate object to help restrict access to distracting applications.
Brick allows users to select apps or websites they want blocked. They can then activate restrictions by interacting with a physical device, making it less convenient to reverse the decision impulsively.
This approach creates distance between the urge to scroll and the ability to open an application. Someone might place the device away from their desk or bedroom to make changing restrictions more deliberate.
Physical blockers can be useful during work, study periods or family time. However, they involve an additional purchase and may not be necessary for people who respond well to free phone settings.
Users should also review emergency-access options and compatibility before relying on a blocking device. Essential communication and navigation applications should remain available when needed.
6. Create Focus Modes for Work, Sleep and Family Time
Focus modes help reduce distractions without requiring users to shut down their phones entirely. They can limit notifications and, depending on the device, temporarily restrict access to selected applications.
Apple's Focus settings allow iPhone users to create different configurations for work, personal activities and sleep. Users can choose which contacts and applications are allowed to send notifications.
Android's Digital Wellbeing tools include Focus mode, which temporarily pauses selected distracting apps. Users can also schedule these restrictions during specific hours.
Someone working from home might allow calls from family members while silencing entertainment notifications. A bedtime routine could permit alarms and urgent calls while discouraging late-night social media use.
The advantage is flexibility. Focus modes can protect important parts of the day without preventing access to genuinely useful smartphone functions.
7. Reduce Notifications and Use In-App Controls
Notifications are frequent reminders that something new might be waiting inside an application. Even when an alert is not important, it can prompt someone to unlock their phone and begin scrolling.
Turning off nonessential notifications can reduce those interruptions. Users can keep messages from important contacts while disabling promotional alerts, suggested posts and other unnecessary updates.
Some social media platforms also provide their own time-management tools. Instagram, for example, offers settings intended to help people monitor usage and reduce interruptions during selected hours.
These controls may include daily reminders and scheduled notification silencing, although names and options can change between versions.
Another useful habit is moving social media apps away from the home screen. Removing convenient shortcuts makes opening them a more deliberate choice instead of an automatic response.
8. Use Samsung's AI Network Guard to Restrict Apps
Samsung Galaxy users running compatible versions of One UI 9 have another option called AI Network Guard. The feature can block selected applications from accessing the internet, making online distractions harder to use.
AI Network Guard is located within Samsung's hidden Connectivity Labs settings. Users can access this area through Settings, Connections, Wi-Fi and Intelligent Wi-Fi.
On supported devices, tapping the Intelligent Wi-Fi heading seven times reveals Connectivity Labs. From there, users can open AI Network Guard, establish a PIN and choose applications to restrict.
Android Authority reported that the feature can also help prevent selected apps from downloading advertisements. Samsung presents it as a way to reduce distractions, including for children using Galaxy phones.
Unlike ordinary screen-time reminders, network restrictions can stop an application from loading online content. However, some previously downloaded material may remain accessible, and blocking internet access can interfere with legitimate app functions.
This method is best suited to users comfortable managing advanced settings. It is not available on every Android phone.
9. Replace Endless Scrolling With More Rewarding Activities
Reducing doomscrolling often becomes easier when people have another enjoyable activity ready. The goal is not necessarily to eliminate screen time but to use it more intentionally.
The free Libby app allows library members to borrow ebooks, audiobooks and magazines from participating public libraries. Reading a chapter or listening to a book can provide a clear stopping point that endless social feeds often lack.
Finch offers a different experience through a virtual self-care pet that responds to completed activities. Users can set small goals involving exercise, mindfulness and everyday routines.
Creative applications such as Dudel Draw encourage short drawing activities, while Radio Garden lets listeners explore live radio stations around the world. Puzzle and learning applications, including Elevate and vocabulary games, provide other alternatives.
These activities still involve technology, but they offer opportunities to pursue specific interests instead of repeatedly consuming algorithmically selected content. People may also choose entirely offline alternatives, including walking, cooking, reading or spending time with friends.
Changing the habit does not require getting everything right immediately. Choosing one or two realistic limits, reviewing their effectiveness and adjusting them over time can make phone use more intentional.
The most useful starting point is identifying when scrolling becomes automatic. Whether that happens before bedtime, during meals or immediately after waking, creating a small interruption can help turn an unconscious habit into a deliberate choice.