If you want to reduce the time you spend on social media, consider installing one of these apps. Stayfocused for Android gives your phone a productivity report, and has a customizable list of blocked apps. SelfControl for Mac and Windows lets you block certain websites or emails from coming through until a chosen timer ends, letting you customize when you can access restricted apps. Forest is an app that grows virtual trees while you stay away from your phone, which helps encourage phone-free periods. Moment tracks how much time you spend on your iPhone, and how many times you pick it up per day, helping shift your habits to be less consumed by your phone.
We’ve compiled a list of apps to help you learn how to properly manage the amount of time spent on social media, and promote healthier work/life balance.
AppBlock
AppBlock allows Android users to temporarily block distracting applications on their phone, giving them more time to focus on things that actually need their attention. It’s one of the simpler apps we found and won’t track your usage. But you can still schedule specific times to lock yourself out of certain apps to prevent distractions before they happen.
Get AppBlock for Android (Free)
SelfControl
Your computer is the greatest machine to get work done, but it’s also the biggest source of distraction. SelfControl is an app for MacOS that allows you to block access to websites, your mail servers, or anything else on the internet. By creating a blacklist of sites and choosing a set amount of time to block, you’ll improve productivity until the time is up. Warning: During this time you will be unable to access what you blocked—even if you restart your computer or delete the application.
Get SelfControl for MacOS (Free)
Cold Turkey
Personally, the only way I can actually stop a bad habit is by quitting cold turkey. That’s why the Cold Turkey browser extension is a great choice. You’re able to choose specific time limits to block web pages, the entire internet, or even your whole computer. There’s also a writer feature that forces you to finish your paper before you can do anything else, which is especially great for students and writers alike.
SPACE
Formerly known as BreakFree, SPACE is an outstanding app to track and limit social media usage for iPhone and Android. This social media blocker app is quite popular & has been downloaded by over Millions of users from all around the globe. Let’s take a closer look at the features of Space:
Features: SPACE
- You can customize the app usage tracker according to your phone usage habits & preferences.
- It provides you with the opportunity to set & define your goals regarding your phone.
- It tracks your phone usage behaviour and shows you the progress that you have made within 2 months.
- It also sends non-intrusive notifications to intrude when your screen time bypasses the limit & alerts you to stay focused.
Pros
- Beautiful UI.
- Helps you understand your current hobbies.
- Lets you know what ‘type’ of phone user you are.
- Unlock top tips to achieve digital balance.
Cons
- Uses a significant amount of RAM.
- Sometimes crashes abruptly.
QualityTime
It’s a fun, visually engaging and easy-to-use app to limit Social media usage. It offers real-time reports on how much time you’ve spent on your smartphone & Social media apps. QualityTime, an app usage tracker, features an actionable set of tools to curb your addictions and set your time restrictions in the form of Alerts, Take A Break & Scheduled Breaks.
Features: QualityTime
- Create multiple QualityTime profiles to customize the way you wish to unplug from the digital world.
- The social media blocker app works effortlessly well to get rid of annoying notifications, applications & reject phone calls too.
- The app usage tracker allows you to auto-reply text messages when you are busy with your family.
- View & manage your timeline activities from morning to night.
Pros
- Has a built-in Social media time tracker widget.
- Real-time smartphone usage reports.
- Accurate & reliable app to limit Social media time.
Cons
- Asks for lots of permissions to work properly.
- New update has a few bugs.
- Glitches while registering for the app usage tracker.
Qustodio
Works On: iOS, Mac, Android, Windows, Kindle
Cost: $55/year for up to five devices
Ideal For: Elementary age children and up
Key Features
- Monitor or block apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Whatsapp
- Qustodio sets screen time limits, block contacts and limit time for games
- A panic button allows your child to reach you instantly in an emergency
- Captures what videos your children watch and who they call and text
- Blocks inappropriate website content
Social Fever — Android
Manage your time in a smarter way with Social Fever. With this app, the endless scroll will come to a stop. You’ll get detailed info on how much time you spend on apps, how long you phone is unlocked for every day and more. You can even meditate for 30 minutes with the app instead of spending that time on Pinterest. Unfortunately, the price for this app isn’t listed in the Google Play store.
DinnerMode — iOS
Stop bringing your phone to meals and make memories there with friends and family instead. DinnerMode lets you set a timer for how long you want to spend away from your device. It’s formatted like a challenge, and if you win, you can tweet our your results and challenge your friends to try it, too. Even better, the app is free and can be used for more than just meals.
AppDetox
As the name suggests, this app allows you to take a digital detox by setting your own rules — and even take it to the extreme and lock all your apps. Whenever you violate your own rules, AppDetox will remind you to take a break and will also keep a log of all your violations. If you have kids, use this app to control their screen time.
AppDetox is available on Google Play.
DinnerMode — iOS
Stop bringing your phone to meals and make memories there with friends and family instead. DinnerMode lets you set a timer for how long you want to spend away from your device. It’s formatted like a challenge, and if you win, you can tweet our your results and challenge your friends to try it, too. Even better, the app is free and can be used for more than just meals.
Freedom
Freedom, as the name entails, helps you fight against Social Media & Smartphone addiction. Used by Millions of people from all around the world, Freedom is one of the best apps to track and limit Social media usage on iPhone & Android. It has a fantastic set of features to combat Nomophobia. Let’s take a look at what all the app usage tracker has to offer:
Features: Freedom
- It helps you focus & improve productivity by blocking an unlimited number of distracting apps & websites such as YouTube, ESPN and Facebook.
- The Social media blocker app allows you to block the internet in a single tap.
- Allows you to create an exclusion list to keep certain websites from the blocked list.
- This Social Media Time Tracker app creates a vast number of modified blocklists for all your requirements.
- Schedule Freedom to run at specific days & times.
- Convenient social media blocker app for novice & pro users.
Pros
- Excellent app to limit Social media usage while working from home.
- Actionable features to control phone addiction.
- Custom blocklists.
- Syncing across all your devices.
Cons
- Has certain issues with low-end devices.
Flipd
Flipd is one of the accurate apps that track & limit social media time on your iPhone and Android using advanced algorithms. To maintain digital detox, Flipd helps in hiding social media apps & help you focus on your work. Let’s take a look at the features of Flipd to know what it can do:
Features: Flipd
- Offers a dedicated locker to hide diverting apps.
- You can schedule reminders whenever you want no distraction.
- Monthly challenges within the Flipd community to enhance focus & overall productivity.
- Features to set goals for enhancing Focus, Sleep Time, Study & Work.
- Tracks the usage time and the time you didn’t use the app. Check the time which you save to motivate yourself.
- Attending classes or working at home, get reminders to Flip off to save yourself from distraction.
Pros
- Hides Social media apps to focus better on work.
- Significantly increases productivity & tracks daily goals.
- Lots of features available with a free trial version.
Cons
- Poor support assistance.
- Sometimes have issues in upgrading to a premium
OurPact
Works On: iOS and Android devices
Cost: Free for a limited version; $2/month for up to 10 devices; $7/month for up to 20 devices with premium features
Ideal For: Tweens
Key Features
- Limits social media use in an “allowance” oriented way, using a simple interface that allows you to set a schedule for screen time
- You can enable OurPact’s location tracker to alert you when your child is arriving or leaving at designated places (like school, home, etc.)
- The interface is parent-friendly, giving you clear options for scheduling, granting or blocking access to texting, websites, apps, etc. and create schedules and screen time allowances for different days
- Filter out adult sexual content on the web
Mobicip
Works On: iOS, Android and Amazon devices
Cost: $40 to $125 per year for five to 15 devices
Ideal For: Families with multiple kids
Key Features
- Block any app on your child’s phone or tablet, tailored to each child
- Schedule daily or weekly screen time allowances or time windows
- Lock all devices instantly with Mobicip
- Location tracking
- Share app and internet usage reports with another parent
- Advanced internet filtering to ensure inappropriate content is restricted
- Gives parents the ability to watch the videos their children have watched on YouTube, for example
mSpy
Works On: iOS and Android devices
Cost: $30/month for basic version; up to $70/month for all the bells and whistles
Ideal For: Tweens and up
Key Features
- See all messages and multimedia content your child is viewing on most major social media platforms: Facebook, Kik, Snapchat, Skype, Telegram, Viber and Whatsapp
- mSpy will monitor calls and texts—along with keylogging, which enables you to see everything that is typed on your child’s device
- Block apps and websites
- Location tracking
RealizD — iOS, Android
Track your phone and tablet usage with RealizD so you can spend more time doing things you love IRL. You can set daily screen time limits which will force you off your phone when you’ve gone over. There’s even a screen-free challenge to test how much your usage habits have improved. The app is free to download, with other experiences or products for sale in the app.
Stay Focused
Stay Focused is an excellent blend of features, including app/website blocker, app usage tracker, self-control booster, keywords blocker, screen time,smart productivity booster & much more. It’s an all-round package to beat smartphone addiction without putting much effort. Let’s see what makes it the best app to limit and track Social media time.”
Features: Stay Focused
- Tracks daily time spent while using your favorite apps.
- Block apps & websites at particular time intervals.
- Offers multiple modes for weak self-control.
- Keeps track of time spent on websites as well.
- Set limits on your overall phone usage & screen time.
- Allows you to block certain keywords as well to make your device kid-proof.
- The app usage tracker even features a dedicated locker to block apps temporarily.
Pros
- Best app & website blocker.
- Blocks email notifications temporarily.
- A useful app to beat phone addiction.
Cons
- Most of the features are available with a premium version.
- Annoying ad popups.
Conclusion
Track and limit your time on social media to keep bettering yourself as a creator, friend, and human.