If you feel like your phone is stealing hours from you without you realizing it, you're not alone. The apps and notifications They are designed to capture your attention through dopamine stimuli., and when we chain one video after another or check networks compulsively, we fall into what many experts call the "casino effect" or the doomscrollingThe result: less focus, more stress, and a constant feeling of "not enough time."
The good news is that it can be stopped. With a few tweaks on Android and iOS, simple habits, and a couple of well-chosen toolsIt's perfectly possible to reduce your screen time and reconnect with what matters: your rest, your relationships, and your productivity. This guide brings together everything you need to achieve this in a practical way, from warning signs to step-by-step setup.
Why you should reduce your screen time and how to spot signs of excess
Spending hours in front of your phone not only exhausts you: It affects vision (dryness, itching, blurred vision, headache) and alters the circadian cycle., which can translate into sleep problems and, consequently, a mood slump. Exposure to blue light at night suppresses melatonin and makes it difficult to get a good night's sleep, directly impacting performance the following day.
There is also a clear behavioral component. The "casino effect" describes that loop of quick rewards (infinite scrolling, likes, notifications) that pushes you to keep going a little longer. When you look at the usage report—Android calls it Digital Wellbeing, and iPhone calls it Screen Time—you can easily see how many hours have been spent and on which apps.
Regarding whether there is a “mobile phone addiction” as a formal diagnosis, specialists clarify that To date, there is no universally accepted clinical category.. Even so, there is talk of nomofobia (fear of being without a phone) and there is consensus that excessive use generates real consequences: sleep disorders, anxiety, sedentary lifestyle, concentration problems and tensions in relationships.
Warning signs in adults that should be monitored: prolonging use longer than expected and not being able to stop, neglecting tasks or relationships, irritability if you can't check your phone, using it to relieve anxiety or sadness, or sacrificing sleep to stay connected. If these appear, it's worth taking action.
In minors, it is advisable to be especially attentive to loss of interest in non-screen activities, cell phone use in dangerous situations (e.g., while crossing), sleep or eating disturbances, overreactions when the device is taken away, and screen time that interferes with exercise, rest, or face-to-face interaction.
The data in Spain provide context: Young people spend an average of more than 3 hours a day during the week and almost 5 hours on weekends.98% of children use the internet regularly, and 39% access a mobile phone before the age of 11. Furthermore, 70% of Spaniards admit to feeling dependent on the device, and almost half would like to reduce their use, although only a minority seek professional help.
As a guideline, conservative limits are usually recommended —International organizations cite the threshold of two hours of daily entertainment on screens—, adjusting for age, educational or work needs, and content quality. It's not about demonizing technology, but rather putting it in its place.
Helpful settings on your phone: Android (Digital Wellbeing) and iOS (Screen Time)
Android: Squeeze out Digital Wellbeing
On most Android devices with Google services, Digital Wellbeing appears in Settings > “Digital Wellbeing & parental controls”If you don't see it as an app, activate it within that menu with "Show icon in app list." The first time, you'll be asked to set up your profile to record usage and statistics.
The main panel shows a graph of your activity today: Screen time per app, unlocks, and notifications receivedFrom there, you can access each app to review details and change settings. A good first step is to open "App Limits" and set daily limits for the ones you find most annoying.
Chrome has special treatment: You can see the sites visited and limit the time per specific website. Go to the Chrome chart, click "Show Websites," and add "Website Timer" next to each domain you want to limit. If you need to adjust it later, come back and change or remove the limit.
To sleep better, activate the Rest mode with a scheduled routine or when charging your phone. In addition to "Do Not Disturb," you can customize display options: grayscale, dark theme only at night, dim wallpaper, and disable the always-on display. If you schedule the start time a couple of hours before bedtime, you'll reduce last-minute temptations.
Need real focus? Enter No distractions mode, choose the apps you want to pause and activate it immediately or schedule it. While it's running, you won't be able to open those apps or receive alerts. If something comes up, use "Take a Break" with a short time limit. On some phones, you can add this mode to Quick Settings to turn it on and off on the fly.
Additional Android tricks that make a difference: add the “screen time widget” To see your three most used apps at a glance, customize notifications so only the essential ones sound, and if you want to go further, use minimalist launchers or focus apps (StayFree, Forest, Minimalist Phone) that reduce visual noise and help you stick to your limits.
iOS: Get the most out of Screen Time
On iPhone, open Settings > Use time and turn on “App & Website Activity.” From there, you can easily view detailed reports and set limits. Start by Inactivity time: Define a time slot during which your phone is virtually locked, with an automatic notification 5 minutes before activation so you can finish whatever you're working on.
While downtime is active, Disallowed apps are grayed out with an hourglassIf you try to open any of them, iOS will remind you that it's locked (although you can always override the restriction on an ad-hoc basis if necessary). Set the exceptions to "Always Allowed": Apple defaults to Phone, Messages, FaceTime, or Maps, but you can change them to the ones you really need (for example, WhatsApp or your favorite maps app).
Another key piece is “App usage limits”. You can select entire categories (e.g., social media) or individual apps and assign a daily time limit. You can even block specific websites. Remember that the timer resets at midnight, so consider your schedule and activities to make sure the time limit fits with your routine.
A practical tip if you tend to “self-override” your own limits: Ask someone you trust to set your Screen Time passcodeIf you don't have someone to help you, choose a less memorable PIN and store it in a password manager or even in a physical location; this way, you'll avoid deactivating everything on impulse.
Common adjustments that reduce snagging
Notification settings mark a before and after. Turn off social media notifications, non-critical emails, and entertainment apps, and only leave sound on what's vital. On iOS, you can adjust notifications per app; on Android, in addition to turning them off, you can fine-tune notification channels.
Another powerful asset is the grayscale. Removing color makes thumbnails and icons less appealing and reduces the immediate reward. On iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters and turn on Grayscale. On Android, the option appears within the Sleep Mode display options; activate it and use “Activate Now” if you are interested in having it always.
Complete with simple measurements: dark theme at night, lower brightness, group social networks in a folder off the main screen, and clean up your home screen to only the essentials (email, banking, calendar, etc.). The more friction you create, the fewer the habit-induced declines.
Practical habits and strategies to use your phone less (and enjoy it more)
We begin with a block of direct actions, designed to cut through the noise and restore healthy habits. You don't need to apply them all at once.; try a pair for a week and adjust.
Ten moves for a gradual "digital detox"
- Disconnect mobile data or WiFi in sections of the day to consciously choose when you want to be available.
- Spend specific times with a offline device (for example, a reader or a tablet without Internet) to separate offline leisure from online leisure.
- Limit Internet access to routine tasks (checking email at fixed times, paperwork, banking) and avoid snacking in between.
- Sort the phone: Uninstall what you don't need and hide what's tempting; fewer icons, fewer urges.
- Rate uninstall social networks that do not contribute to you or temporarily deactivate secondary accounts.
- Install control apps to limit time per app and block time slots (on iOS with Screen Time and on Android with Digital Wellbeing).
- turn off notifications that are not essential; your time is yours, not the ads'.
- Leave your phone outside the bedroom and turns the room into a screen-free space.
- Organize a weekend or getaway without devices to reset your habits.
- If you need a total reset, dare to try one complete detox a couple of days and then reintroduce only the essentials.
Very specific daily habits that work
At night, try to have at least one hour without screens before bedScreens—especially cell phones—reduce melatonin and lengthen the time it takes to fall asleep. If two hours seems impossible, start with 60 minutes and you'll see rapid changes in the quality of your sleep.
Design “screen-free hours” during the day. Mealtimes are a perfect time to put away your cell phone.And if you combine breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you'll have more than an hour of respite every day. Add the supermarket, the bathroom, or short walks to that list of phone-free moments.
If you're always checking your work email, avoid logging into the app over and over again. Activate alerts and leave your phone out of sightWhen the email arrives, you'll know, and you'll reduce the number of times you open your phone "just in case."
Attack the visual stimulus: put the screen is grayed out and social networks are hidden in a folder that isn't on the first screen. That small obstacle slows down the unlocking process out of habit and gives you time to choose.
To study or work, consider something as "analog" as print key documentsYour eyes and brain notice: you can underline, annotate, and take a break from the blue light for a few minutes.
Introduce microbreaks every 60 minutesGet up for 3-5 minutes, walk around, hydrate, or wash your face. If you can't stop that often, look at the keyboard more often when typing and validate your text at the end to reduce continuous eye strain.
Focus and self-control strategies
Start by becoming aware. Check the usage report daily Mobile: which apps top the rankings and how much time you spend on them. Just looking at the data can change your behavior.
Manage your digital leisure time with schedules. Reserve slots for networks or videos (in the afternoon, during a specific break) and stick to them with automatic limits. Celebrate small milestones: going from 4 to 3 hours, from 3 to 2: if you recognize this, you'll be more motivated to continue.
Define “phone-free moments” (meals, bedtime, time with your children or friends). These are spaces to connect, without questioning what's happening in the virtual world. If you find yourself unlocking your phone out of habit, ask yourself: "Do I need this, or am I bored?"
When you notice anxiety when you are without your phone, try slow, deep breaths (e.g., 4-4-8: inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 8). By regulating the body, the urge goes down and it is easier to sustain the new habit.
More friction, less temptation: advanced tricks
Make your phone less “appetizing”: Grayscale, no unnecessary notifications, and a minimalist home screenOn Android, you can go further with a launcher that replaces icons with text and hides apps; on iOS, use clean home screens and remove tempting apps from search and suggestions.
Access services from your browser instead of installing their app. Using the browser adds friction and avoids native notificationsWith browsers with built-in ad blockers, like Brave, you can even watch YouTube with less ad noise when the ad shields are active.
If you tend to overstep your own boundaries, strengthen them: leave the control PIN in the hands of someone you trust Or store it somewhere you won't remember it. Schedule "downtime" every night to nip in the bud any unwanted usage.
Another powerful idea is schedule internet shutdown at night (Turn off your router's Wi-Fi and disable data). Without a connection, temptations disappear. And if YouTube catches you by the thumbnails, block those images with a DNS filter remove that visual content; YouTube becomes much less stimulating.
If you communicate with family members through Facebook, an alternative is use only Facebook Messenger, which serves as a chat feature without the social feed. When you need more drastic measures, consider setting your smartphone as a "dumb phone": essential functions and everything else out.
Apps that really help
In addition to native tools, there's an ecosystem designed to improve digital well-being. Before Launcher (Android) It offers a minimalist home screen, notification filter, and no data tracking; its users report unlocking their phone much less often. On iOS, Dumb Phone recreates a minimal experience through widgets and different profiles (work, leisure, night) to show only what is relevant.
To reduce social impulses, one sec It makes you "wait" before opening networks, encouraging awareness of the gesture; studies with European universities report significant drops in usage. Zario combines app limits, Pomodoro-like timers, a "focus keeper" and personalized challenges to lower immediate dopamine and consolidate habits.
If you need a firm hand, Digital Detox: Focus & Live (Android) adds temporary locks, statistics, and a "Hard Lock" mode that prevents the app from being disabled prematurely. Other useful options on Android include StayFree (statistics and limits) and Forest (focus gamification), and to clean up the interface as much as possible, minimalist phone.
Studies, campaigns, and a couple of interesting hacks
Campaigns of the type have become popular “10 tricks to reduce mobile phone use” with actionable guidelines: remove apps that launch "to-dos" from the home screen, set schedules, reduce brightness, and group notifications. The goal is simple: fewer stimuli, more control.
A hack recommended by voices like Honey Robbins is to use the mobile phone in grayscale. An academic work with the participation of Cornell and IE suggests that removing color takes away the "spark" from the scroll, making endless scrolling less appealing. You can try it for a week and assess its impact on your actual usage.
And a note about numbers: if you add up trips, time in the bathroom, before sleeping and moments of distraction, It is not uncommon to reach 5 hours a dayThat's equivalent to about 76 days a year. Looking at it this way helps you decide where you want to spend that time.
How to activate grayscale step by step
On iPhone: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters and choose “Grayscale”. On Android: go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Sleep mode > Personalize > Display options and turn on “Grayscale,” then tap “Turn On Now.”
Remember: the goal is not to use zero, but to use better.
Technology allows us to study, work and stay connected. The healthy thing is to set clear limits and an intention behind each unlocking.If you incorporate four or five of the above measures and stick with them for a couple of weeks, you'll notice more focus, better sleep, and more quality time away from screens.
Brief references
- Park, WK (2005). Mobile Phone Addiction. In Mobile Communications (Springer).
- Reagle, J. (2015). FOMO and ostentatious sociability. First Monday, 20(10).
- Stevens, RG & Zhu, Y. (2015). Electric nightlight and circadian rhythms. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 370.
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Combines system settings (Digital Wellbeing/Screen Time), daily habits, and a couple of well-chosen appsIf you add friction—gray areas, fewer notifications, schedules—and focus on the essentials, your relationship with your phone changes immediately: more presence, less noise, and a clear sense of being back in the driver's seat.
