Stop scrolling! 5 apps to help you cut down on screen time

Checking into Instagram again?

Here's a terrifying fact: UK adults spend an average of 8 hours and 41 minutes on screens per day, which is more time than we spend asleep. According to OFCOM, more than half of UK adults admit that connected devices interrupt face-to-face communications with friends and family.

Want to reduce the time you spend mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or your chosen digital poison? While it might seem counter-productive to suggest yet another piece of tech to solve the tech addiction problem, these apps should help reduce your dependency on the black mirror - so you can be present and focused, not plugged in.

Flipd

Best for: keeping focused

Proven to help you stay focused and increase productivity, Flipd is the app you need if you struggle to concentrate. From scheduling reminders, to blocking apps on your phone that you find particularly distracting, Flipd will make sure you stay on task.

hold

Best for: a sense of achievement 

If improved efficiency at work, or better sleeping patterns are still not enough to encourage you to put down your phone and start, hold is a good app to try. hold lets you earn points for the amount of time you’re not using your phone, which you can then trade for rewards in real life.

forest

Best for: giving back

If hold is the carrot, forest is the stick. As you use hold you help grow a virtual ‘tree’, but the moment you leave the app, that tree dies. The more trees you grow, the more coins you earn, which enables you to plant real trees on actual planet Earth – so far forest has planted more than 300,000.

Moment

Best for: a reality check 

Just how much time ARE you spending on your phone? Moment helps you track your patterns of phone use with a round-up of daily, weekly and monthly stats. Once you've found out just how much time you're spending on the device (and probably screamed in horror) the app will help control your screen time with a series of notifications, interruptions and alarms.

Siempo

Best for: kicking your tapping habits 

Endorsed by the Center for Humane Technology in the US, Siempo tries to make using your smartphone an altogether healthier experience. The app can ‘batch’ your notifications (meaning you can choose to receive them every half hour or perhaps even once a day), change your phone background to something more soothing or randomize the order of apps on your phone to prevent opening them unconsciously.