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How to Set Screen Time Limits on Your iPhone (and Why You Should)


A person holding a mobile phone with their thumb on an icon

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

I’ll be the first to admit, I use scrolling through social media as a crutch – a quick fix to the boredom becoming the ultimate procrastinator. I, like many people today, have forged myself to see life through a screen.

I tried to “drop out” of my scrolling habit by completely detoxing, only scrolling continuously when I went back to social media. Recently, however, I found a middle ground that encourages more intentional scrolling: setting a screen time limit on my iPhone.

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My ultimate goal is to develop enough discipline to know when it’s time to step away from content entirely, but for now, I rely on my iPhone to set boundaries for myself. Here’s how you can, too.

How to set time limit on iPhone

Your iPhone’s settings allow you to set a time limit on any apps you’ve downloaded. While I mainly set limits for social networks, you can also set limits for any app that you want space for.

First, go to the center of any phone, the Settings app, represented by a gear icon. Then, click the Screen Time option from the menu.

Once you’ve selected the Screen Time button, you’ll be faced with your average daily stats — warning — which can be a bit startling.

iPhone Screen Time settings.  The red box surrounds the average daily time and the red arrow points to the App Limits option.

Looking at average device time in my iPhone settings is definitely a wake-up call. I went into the App Limits menu to limit my time on apps.

Screenshots of Christina Darby/ZDNET

Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that passive scrolling adds up more than you think, select the App Limit option from the menu. From there, select the Add Limit button.

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You will then see a list of apps sorted by category. Select the category you want to limit your device time to, and from there, a drop-down menu with specific apps will appear.

Once you’ve selected the apps, click Next.

Screenshot of app limit selection on iPhone with blue checkmark next to Instagram and TikTok

Two popular audiences that trigger my scrolling dooms are Instagram and TikTok. So I decided to limit the time I spend with them.

Screenshots of Christina Darby/ZDNET

You will now be invited to choose the amount of time you want to spend using the apps you have selected.

I’ve set myself hour limits on both TikTok and Instagram to allot throughout the day.

Note that if you select all apps at once before pressing Next, each app will have the same time limit. So if you want your time limit to be different between apps, choose apps in different batches.

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Screenshot of setting screen time limits for apps on iPhone

Since I choose Instagram and TikTok at the same time, I have to set a time limit for both, I choose 1 hour.

Screenshots of Christina Darby/ZDNET

Once you have set your time limit, the screen interface will show the Enabled Apps Limit button (green) as well as the apps you have selected to limit.

You can press the Add Limit button and repeat the process if you want to set a different time limit for another app.

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However, the most important part is making sure that you don’t set limits just to bypass them. When the time is up, try putting down your phone and pick up a book or even remote the TV and watch without scrolling.

Screenshot of Restricted Apps Enabled in iPhone settings

Once you’ve added a limit to your apps, you’ll see an App Limits button enabled. To add more limits to your app, select the Add Limits prompt.

Screenshots of Christina Darby/ZDNET

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