Ultimate Guide on How to Reduce Screen Time [2025]

We all are addicted to our phones because not only does it streamline our daily work, but it is also a source of entertainment. On behalf of kids and teenagers, phones usually dominate their routine with excessive screen time. This excessive use of technology can lead to devastating results and can thus damage one's health and mental state.

Therefore, learning how to reduce screen time and establish healthy habits has become critical. Go through this article and learn the importance of screen time and different methods to reduce this bad habit.

To lead a balanced and productive life, it is essential to maintain healthy habits such as eating well, getting enough sleep, and staying active. However, the increasing accessibility of the internet and digital devices has negatively impacted many aspects of daily life. To better understand why reducing screen time is crucial, let's explore its effects on both kids and adults:

Kids are equivalent to an energy powerhouse, and the age 5 to 16 is their development and learning phase. If kids glue themselves to the screens of their phones, it significantly reduces their mental ability and causes various mood changes.

Moreover, they can experience sleep problems, behavioral issues, and additive routines. In this scenario, parents can use various strategies to reduce screen time and adopt healthy habits and productivity.

Excessive screen time can lead to devastating effects on adults as they can experience physical and health problems. These include eye strain, back issues, depression, and potential social isolation. Other than that, adults consume themselves in unnecessary comparisons and time-wasting dating apps and indulge in social media toxicity.

That is why taking a few hours of break between scrolling and getting fresh air is advised. It can help them relax and focus on other things, leading to a better lifestyle.

Reducing phone screen time is extremely important, especially for improving mental health and overall well-being. Many spend hours glued to our screens, contributing to stress and a lack of face-to-face communication. By implementing the below-mentioned ways to decrease screen time, you can lead a more balanced lifestyle, regaining your control over usage.

Setting specific screen time limits is one of the best ways to reduce screen time. You can easily set daily usage limits for particular apps, and once the limit is exceeded, you’ll receive a notification. This encourages users to practice healthy habits or limit their usage while avoiding spending excessive time on apps. It helps create boundaries and make you more aware of how much time you’re spending on your phone.

For example, you can use Screen Time for iPhone or Digital Wellbeing for Android to set these limits. While doing so, you can easily set daily usage limits for particular apps, and once the limit is exceeded, you’ll receive a notification. This encourages users to practice healthy habits or limit their usage while avoiding spending excessive time on apps.

Scheduling specific day hours as phone-free can help you build healthier physical habits. For instance, you can decide to avoid phones during meals, family time, or even when you’re at a gathering. These designated periods allow users to focus on offline activities, including reading or spending quality time. So, over time, these breaks from your phones will become part of your daily routine while reducing overall screen time.

Another tip to reduce screen time is to use the “Do Not Disturb” mode when concentrating or taking a break from your phones. This feature silences all the calls, messages, and app alerts while allowing you to focus without interruptions. Apart from this, you can customize settings to allow important contacts or notifications to come through if required.

The best way to reduce screen time is to designate specific areas at your home or workplace as phone-free zones. You can keep your phone out of the bedroom to improve sleep quality or ban its use during dinners for healthy conversation. By creating these boundaries, users can build a habit of detaching themselves from phones in specific contexts. Disconnecting from devices fosters a healthier relationship and mindful living.

One of the best tips to reduce screen time is to use a screen tracking tool to monitor your regular phone activity and your kids closely. With effective software or apps, parents can track every detail of their kid's screen and their own and set appropriate schedules. If you want to reduce aggressive behavior in your children, tracking their phones can help you block unnecessary platforms and apps.

Engaging in some kind of physical activity is recommended to learn how to reduce screen time on the phone. These activities, like sports, board games, and gardening, can significantly boost your mood and improve your health. Moreover, a simple form of exercise, such as walking, counts as an activity that can reduce screen time.

A side hobby, like painting, calligraphy, building, and more, can help you decrease screen time. People can create a small hobby for themselves that can keep them occupied for hours and keep them off their screens. For kids, it is an excellent opportunity to learn and grow by finding their potential. Moreover, these hobbies can set realistic goals for adults, focusing on their talent rather than scrolling through the screen.

Users should avoid taking their phones to bed, as scrolling through social media can turn into hours of scrolling. This disrupts your precious hour of sleep and creates brain fog, irritability, and strain on your eyes. Also, avoid taking any electronics to bed as the radiation harms your brain and body. That is why plug your phones far away from your bed, one hour before bedtime, to develop a healthy sleep routine.

If none of the other things works, one of the only other strategies to reduce screen time is deleting unnecessary apps. Many apps, like social media and games, are designed to keep you engaged for an extended period. Therefore, remove these apps and games draining your time and energy. This way, you can focus on more meaningful activities and reduce the urge to scroll through your device.

Sometimes, you should make your device unappealing so you can spend as little time as possible. FoSwitchingour phone to grayscale mode is a clever strategy. for this purpose. The presence of vibrant colors makes apps and notifications less engaging, helping you manage your time. This mode encourages more intentional phone use and reduces excessive screen time.

After reading the tips, if you're looking for an all-in-one way to decrease screen time for kids, meet Wondershare FamiSafe. It's the best app to reduce screen time, enabling parents to manage their children's screen usage by setting time limits and imposing restrictions. They can fully automate this process by scheduling specific periods when access is unavailable. Moreover, this solution allows parents to remotely lock their children's devices for better screen time management.

Notably, FamiSafe allows custom schedules to be created for each day of the week. Parents can also use this feature to block apps that may be unsuitable based on their children's age group. Its security blocks inappropriate content from devices while keeping the kids safe online. With the help of this tool, you can even block risky websites and ensure secure browsing for little ones.

1. Screen Viewer: Using this feature, you can monitor the child's activity by manually scheduling the time to capture screenshots.
2. Activity Report: To know what app your kid is addicted to, you track their usage patterns, including the time spent on each app.
3. Suspicious Photos: This platform detects inappropriate photos and sends instant alerts to parents to help block them.
4. Calls and Messages: Using this tool, parents can keep an eye on by monitoring their children’s phone usage through calls and messages they receive.

By following the steps below, you can limit the screen time for your kids while developing healthy physical habits and family harmony.

Step 1. Install the Screen Time Control App

To maintain screen time, open the FamiSafe app on the parent's device and press the Start button from the home page. When you see the security code, copy and save it for the upcoming step.

Moving forward, install this application on your kid’s device and enter the security code you copied from the parent's device earlier. Now, grant permission by tapping the Enable/Active Now button and pressing the Turn On Now button to create a secure connection.

Step 2. Enable the Screen Time Feature

After connecting the devices, access the Screen Time option on the parent's device. When you’re done locating this feature on the main screen, press it to enable its settings. Once the application directs you to the new page, tap the Screen Time Limit option.

Step 3. Adjust the Screen Limits as Per Your Preference

Later, toggle the Enable Screen Time Limit feature and then choose the Custom option to establish a daily schedule for the entire week. Finally, hit the Save button at the top right corner to activate the limitations.

In summary, setting clear boundaries or encouraging offline activities can help onealance technology use. BeRemember thathe goal is to decrease screen time and manage it wisely while ensuring supportive learning.

However, to make this process even more effective for kids, try FamiSafe as your parental control companion. This platform allows you to manage real-time monitoring while blocking unwanted content from your kid's devices.

Q1. How much screen time is too much?

The appropriate amount of screen time for kids depends on their age and screen activity. According to CDC reports, 6 hours of screen time for 8-10-year-olds, 9 hours for 11-14-year-olds, and 7-9 hours for 13-18-year-olds are spent on various devices. However, zero screen time for under 2 years old, no more than 1 hour for 2-5 years, and no more than 2 hours for 5-17 years old is allowed.

Q2. How to limit screen time on apps

You can use the tips discussed earlier to limit your screen time, including setting screen time limits and engaging in physical activity. Plus, consider using reliable apps to reduce screen time that let you customize the application limits and intelligent blocking during specific hours. Therefore, with the help of platforms like FamiSafe, you can monitor your kid's activity and limit their usage as needed.

Q3. How do you cut down screen time to the extreme?

Cutting screen time to the extreme requires a structured and disciplined approach, limiting usage to essential activities only. You can achieve this by defining specific times when screens are allowed and eliminating all the non-essential usage. Plus, with apps like FamiSafe, parents can block apps and websites entirely from their kids' phones.

Q4. How to reduce screen time on iPhone?

If you want to learn how to reduce screen time on your phone, there are one or two ways you can use it. First, you can set a scheduling time on your iPhone to access the settings and screen time options. Other than that, users can allow only certain apps using screen time settings to avoid wasting time on unnecessary apps.