A growing number of applications designed to limit smartphone usage are gaining traction as users seek to disconnect from social media and its algorithms. These tools, offering features like time tracking, blocking and scheduled pauses, reflect a broader awareness of the potential downsides of constant connectivity.
For 23-year-old Hélène, a student in Rouen, France, her smartphone had become “overwhelming.” “Sometimes, without even realizing what I was doing, I would open Instagram. But it was a bit of an endless trap, because once I opened it, it could last an hour,” she told AFP. Driven by the need to focus on her studies, she turned to screen time limiting apps.
These applications connect to other apps on a user’s phone – including games and social networks – to facilitate digital breaks or establish regular usage discipline. The market for these tools has expanded rapidly in recent years, with a proliferation of options available in app stores.
“There’s a collective awakening happening,” says Laureline Couturier, co-founder of Jomo, an app launched in 2022. Jomo allows users to restrict access to other applications and websites by blocking them during specific hours, requiring a waiting period before opening, or setting daily time limits. The company reports 300,000 downloads in 149 countries and has achieved profitability through self-funding.
Couturier notes the diverse approaches within the space. “Each application brings its own solution. Some will copy, others will create variations, etc. But generally, everyone comes up with a very different concept.”
Innovative approaches to digital wellbeing are emerging globally. In Hong Kong, 25-year-old research assistant Jenny Wat uses Focus Flight, which simulates an airplane journey – complete with a flight path display and ambient noise – to create a focused work environment. “It really helps to create an atmosphere for working,” she explained. “I’ve been working from home recently and I find there are a lot of distractions at home, so I wanted an app to help me concentrate instead of scrolling.”
Opal, another leading app in the sector with 10 million users, aims to address shortcomings in the built-in time limit features offered by smartphones and other applications. Founder Kenneth Schlenker argues that major tech companies prioritize user engagement over wellbeing. “The main goal is to exploit the psychological vulnerabilities of users,” he told AFP. “Google and Apple fundamentally have no interest in making people spend less time interacting with their devices.”
Opal’s goal, according to Schlenker, is to allow users to “benefit from everything that technology has to offer… without suffering the negative consequences.” This reflects a growing trend of users seeking more intentional relationships with their devices.
However, completely abandoning social media platforms remains a challenge for many. “I never wanted to completely delete social networks,” says Austin, a 33-year-old orthotist in Paris, who has been using two applications for several years to manage his online time. “It’s really about having a more defined, more controlled relationship between me and social networks.”
Laureline Couturier of Jomo also advocates for this “intentional use.” “Whether we like it or not, the phone will always be present in the decades to come,” she adds. The rise of these apps signals a shift towards a more mindful approach to technology, acknowledging its benefits while actively mitigating its potential drawbacks.
Hélène, having removed Instagram from her phone and limiting access to the platform via computer, no longer relies on screen time limiting apps. “To say that I’ve completely stopped… I still have my phone within a meter of me 20 hours a day.”
mng-ms/vg/er
