How to limit your screen time NOW — before it ruins your life

On average, people spend five hours a day on their smartphones. That adds up to 35 hours per week (that’s almost a full-time job!), 150 hours per month, and 1,800 hours, or 2.5 months of time; 2.5 out of 12 months equals a bit over 20% of the year.

Although many of us are attached to our phones, most devices come with options to help you kick the habit or, at the very least, curb the impact it has on your life. Here’s how to retake your freedom by limiting your screen time on iPhone and Android.

Why are phones so addictive?

By now, we know our phones are addictive, but why? What makes that little rectangle in your pocket so appealing to pick up and even harder to put down?

At first, it was convenience. Smartphones made it easier to call family, text friends, and access the internet from the device in our pockets instead of logging onto the home desktop, dial-up signal buzzing along as we connected to the world wide web. Oh, what a time to be alive.

You can still use your phone while adding guardrails to take back your time and your sanity.

Somewhere along the way, though, smartphones morphed from fun, innovative, generally useful gadgets into little dopamine boxes that gave us a shot of those feel-good chemicals on demand, like a junkie jonesing for their next hit and getting what they want every time.

That’s not to say phones aren’t still useful. From contact lists, to calendar events, to traffic and weather at the push of a button, I can’t imagine not living without mine, and I’m sure many of you are exactly the same. But there’s a darker side to smartphones today. It’s the instant gratification now that keeps us coming back for more. Notifications, short-form videos, the latest trends online — all of it locks us in, even when we know better or want to step back.

Smartphones by themselves aren’t inherently bad, but when they’re abused, they can completely wreck your attention span, mental health, and quality of life overall. The good news is that you can still use your phone while adding guardrails to take back your time and your sanity.

How to limit screen time on iPhone

Apple’s iPhone comes with a “Screen Time” section baked directly into the Settings app. Open it up, dive in, and you’ll find several helpful options under the “Limit Usage” header.

“Downtime” restricts your phone to only the essential built-in apps (Phone, Messages, Safari, Maps, etc.), plus any other third-party apps that you set as “Always Allowed.” In this mode, you can either turn it on and off manually, or you can set a schedule for it to come on at a certain time of the day or week, like after you get home from work or on the weekend to disconnect. Once activated, you’ll only receive notifications, calls, and messages from the allowed apps and nothing else.

“App Limits” is a little less restrictive than Downtime, letting you set daily limits on specific apps instead of the entire system.

RELATED: New phone? Set it up like this — or you might kiss your data goodbye

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

You can add complete categories of apps — like your whole social media collection — or target specific apps that especially steal away your free time. Simply select the apps you want to restrict, choose how much time you’re allowed to use them per day (from 0 minutes to 23 hours), and you’re done. From there, your phone will lock down your chosen apps and notifications once you’ve used up your allotted time for the day, ensuring you put the phone down and do something else with your time. Note that even after the timer runs out for each app, Apple gives you the option to “ignore” the time limit by one more minute, 15 more minutes, or for the rest of the day, offering you more time with the app if you absolutely need it (which defeats the purpose of app limits entirely, but that’s how iPhone is set up).

If you want to get even more granular with your settings, “Communication Limits” will allow phone calls, Facetime chats, and messages from specific people during Downtime. For instance, you may only want to receive communications from your closest family and/or friends. Otherwise, you’re completely unreachable.

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw

How to limit screen time on Android

Android phones come with an app called Digital Wellbeing. While the app may look a little different, depending on your make and model, every version basically does the same thing. It lets you track your screen time and add restrictions to help you take back autonomy from your device.

“App timers” lets you reduce the use of certain addictive apps by setting individual daily time limits. Once activated, you can use the app until the timer runs out. After that, the app will turn gray on your screen, and notifications will be silenced as it shifts into a paused mode until the next day. Unlike Apple’s App Limits feature, app timers on Android won’t let you borrow extra time for the day unless you go into your settings and disable the restriction entirely, helping you more effectively reduce app time.

“Focus” lets you set up a schedule to pause distracting apps at certain times of the day. Simply select which apps you’d like to restrict, set your schedule, and these apps will only be accessible during the days and times you allow for yourself. If you want even more control, the Modes feature in the main Settings app lets you set up different restrictions for different situations. For instance, the Bedtime mode can ensure you only get phone calls and messages from your favorite contacts at night. The Driving mode can ensure only your navigation and contacts apps are available when you get behind the wheel. You can even set up your own custom modes for work, the gym, and more.

If you’d rather be a little more lax in curbing your app usage, “screen time reminders” will nudge you with a notification if it detects that you’re spending too much time on any particular app on your phone. This can then either encourage you to reduce usage on your own, or if the app is addictive enough, you can add it manually to app timers.

When all else fails, take the nuclear option

Although our phones come with app reduction features built in, the sad truth is that device OEMs and app developers want us to use our phones. The more time we spend on these devices, the more likely we are to come back for another hit of dopamine, and the vicious cycle continues.

There’s only one tried and true way off the ride, and that’s to cut the cord entirely. That could mean deleting that addictive app from your phone so you can’t open it, even if you wanted to. It could also mean turning your device off and putting it in a drawer altogether, either for a day, a week, or however long is necessary.

Early studies show that “digital detox” has a remarkable impact on the brain, bolstering cognitive function, reducing stress, and improving sleep quality, just to name a few. Even just three days of little-to-no phone use can help, while prolonged usage prolongs negative effects and makes them worse.

Of course, everyone should choose what works best for them, but if you’re having trouble with cutting back on using your phone, the options outlined above are a great place to start.