5 Mobile Apps to Help Limit Cellphone Use

Written By James TIerney

Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash

Read Time: 6 Minutes

Author: James Tierney

*This blog post was created in collaboration with Meliah Smith. If you'd like to connect with Melia or hire them to help you with any of your writing needs, you can do so by emailing meliah.ams@gmail.com.

Are we addicted to our smartphones?

In present-day society, smartphones have become devices that we are considerably dependent on in areas such as work, school, entertainment, and social life. In an instant, you can communicate with someone across the globe or find an actor’s entire filmography after tirelessly pondering where you’ve seen him before. Unquestionably, smartphone technology has revolutionized the way we live our daily lives, both positively and negatively. 

Recently, health professionals have been raising concerns over the adverse effects of smartphone overuse, some even calling it an addiction. Excessive use of these high-powered devices can permanently damage our eyes and even disrupt sleep. Another primary concern is that they can increase mental health issues, particularly in adolescents who use them immoderately. One study found that youths, especially young girls, who are addicted to their smartphones and social media are likely to experience mental distress and suicidal thoughts. 

So, with all of these adverse side effects linked to smartphone overuse, what is the best solution? Some people may feel the most effective one would be simply getting off your phone, but like any addiction, the answer is not that straightforward. Perhaps the best way to intervene would be to fight technology with technology. Consider downloading applications that limit your smartphone usage by monitoring your screen time, locking you out of specific applications, or rewarding you for controlling your daily phone use.

5 apps that will curb your addiction

1. OffScreen - Less Screen Time (iOS)

OffScreen is an absolute gem for minimizing your screen time. Its minimalistic interface makes it simple to use and gets straight to the point. This application helps you focus on tasks by monitoring your smartphone usage. Not only does it track the overall time you use your phone daily, it also tracks how often you unlock your phone and how long you use it per unlock. OffScreen Pro offers more features, such as monitoring your phone use while walking (which can be dangerous!) and while stationary. One of the most valuable features is that it tracks your longest daily screen time, which you can view based on week, month, or year. Using this data, you can set goals for yourself by setting a daily screen time limit. From here, the app will send notifications to remind you when you’re reaching your daily limit. While the free version of OffScreen is a sufficient intervention for smartphone addiction, the pro version offers many useful features at a reasonable yearly price.

2. Forest: Focus for Productivity (iOS - Android)

Forest is certainly not new to the game when it comes to limiting smartphone usage. This application has over 33,000 ratings on Apple’s App Store and has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Its primary goal is to help you go phone-free by planting virtual trees. The idea is relatively simple: once you open the app, you choose a virtual tree that you want to grow, and it will give you a timer that you can set for up to two hours. The beginning of this timer will “plant a seed,” which will only continue to grow if you keep the Forest app open. If you click on any notifications you receive or try to use any other application, your tree will cease to grow. If you’re successfully growing your trees, you will develop a virtual forest, a visual representation of your off-screen time. Another cool feature of the app is that each time you grow a tree, you gain currency which can be used towards donating to an organization that grows real trees! 

3. Flipd: Focus & Study Timer (iOS - Android)

Flipd is an application made by women that helps to curb smartphone addiction (and it’s available for both iPhone and Android users!). When you first open the app, it will prompt you to set a daily productivity goal. After that, you can start a timed session to reach your goal. During these sessions, if you switch to a different app, the timer will stop and only continue if you reopen Flipd. This technique is used to combat the compulsion to check your phone, which people often unconsciously do when they get a text or email. Another cool feature is the built-in music player, which prevents you from opening other music apps that can be distracting.

4. Attentive - Digital Wellbeing (iOS)

Attentive offers a refreshing approach to combat mindless scrolling. It does this by acting as a virtual smartphone addiction interventionist, encouraging you to complete practices that make you more knowledgeable about your smartphone addiction. These practices are succinct and use sound psychological research. Once you complete a practice, the app will assign a small task that helps you build habits to use your smartphone more consciously.

5. FamiSafe - Parental Control App (iOS - Android)

FamiSafe is a popular choice for parents who want to monitor their child’s phone use. When you first open the app, it will prompt you to connect your child’s device using the FamiSafe Jr app. Once connected, parents can see which apps their child uses the most and block them from using them. One of the most valuable features is that parents can set a daily screen time limit for their children. Once they reach the limit, the app automatically blocks them from using their device. If you have a child with a severe smartphone addiction, FamiSafe is a must-have. 

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James TIerney
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