There can be a countless number of tricks to overcome the cellphone addiction. But the main question is, why to become the victim of cellphone addiction in the first place?
Won’t it be better if you take such measures from the start that secure your kids and don’t allow them to become a slave of their smartphone?
It might be sounding as an exaggerating statement but it’s quite simple to do so. All you need to do is, take care of their smartphone or apps usage and set decent screen time for their use.
Once the set time limit exceeds, the selected apps will stop forcefully. Now, the teens won’t be able to open those apps.
At night, no parent wants their kids to use a cellphone. So you can block all the apps on their device and this will restrict their cellphone use, hence preventing the addiction.
We are going to use the native options provided by iOS and Android to check screen time. Apart from that, we have also mentioned the best time screen time apps, “Block” and “FamiSafe” to limit screen time on Android and iPhone. So, if you feel the dire need to check or limit the screen time of the kid’s device, read the article further.
To quickly head to the section discussing your device type and requirement, you can take the help of the given links.
- How To Check And Limit Screen Time On Android
- How To Check And Limit Screen Time On iPhone
- Using FamiSafe To Limit Screen Time Remotely
- Wrapping Up
- FAQs
Check And Limit Screen Time On Android
Using The “Block” App
When it comes to an Android app that records the screen time and limits the use of apps, Block Apps on Play Store is the best option.
The user can easily download the app from the Play Store and use it for free. You’ll get amazed to see that Block extracts the usage of apps for the time it was not even installed on the device.
The screen time for individual apps is available under the App usage option of the app. At the top, you’ll be able to select the data for different time periods.
To view the app usage for the present day, tap on TODAY. Similarly, you can check the screen time for YESTERDAY, LAST 7 DAYS, LAST 4 WEEKS, and LAST 6 MONTHS.
Method 1 To Limit Screen Time With Block
1. To set the timer for the use of a particular app, tap on the LIMIT option in front of it.
2. Now click on + in front of the day for which you want to set the timer. Simply set the desired screen time limit and tap on SET.
If the usage limit you want to set for all the days is the same then tap on the SET MULTIPLE DAYS option.
This will save you time and you won’t have to save the usage limit for each day individually.
3. SET the desired screen time and finally, tap on the SAVE option on the top. With this, the screen limit will be applied successfully.
Method 2 To Set Time Limit On Apps On Android With Block
Other than setting the timer, you can limit the screen on Block using the time system. After that, the chosen apps will not work for the selected time frame.
1. Tap on the + icon on the App usage section of the app.
2. Now simply tap on the day for which you want to set the time for which the app won’t work.
3. Time to add the starting and ending time of the blocked time and tap on OK after that.
4. Now, you have to select the apps that you want to block for the set time frame. Tap on SELECT APPS TO BLOCK option for that and simply select the desired apps.
5. Finally, tap on DONE to save the changes.
In the free version, you can only set up to 3 sets of blocks. Moreover, each block will only allow 6 apps to be added.
For much more control on your blocks, you have to go for the paid version of the app.
Another amazing thing about this app is that the changes in the already set blocks can’t be done when they are in use.
So your kids won’t be able to make changes in the set timer when they notice the desired apps are not opening.
Disabling The Time Limit From The Apps
It might happen that you set the screen time for a particular app but due to some reason, the kid needs to access the app for more than the set time. With the timer set, when they try to open the app, it’s certainly not gonna open.
In that case, you can reboot the smartphone in order to unblock the blocked apps.
However, if you think this type of situation is never gonna occur with the selected apps, you can change the settings of the Block apps.
All that needs to be done is, toggle on the button that says, Restart blocks and limits after reboot.
Viewing Screen Time Natively On Android
There can be many cases where you just want to see the total time spent on the app, and not at all interested in blocking them.
Mostly in cases where you want to do so for your own device or you first want to find out your kid’s screen time and then make a decision whether to put a restriction or not.
Separately downloading an app from Play Store just to check the time spent on each app sounds like unnecessary pain.
So we are sharing a method with you that will help you check the screen time right on your Android device without downloading any app.
NOTE: Android devices from different companies have different interfaces. So the steps we’ll be sharing might differ on your device.
1. Go to the Settings on your Android device and select the Battery option.
2. Next, select the option Power consumption ranking.
3. Here you will see the installed apps with the percentage of battery consumed. Simply tap on the app for which you want to see the screen time.
4. The time spent by you on that particular can be seen now.
Checking Screen Time On iPhone
Just like Android, iPhone also allows its users to check the screen time natively. And this being the native function of iOS, the screen time shown will be absolutely correct.
Note: You need to be updated to iOS 12 or later in order to use the Screen Time feature.
1. Open the Settings and tap on the Screen Time option.
2. Now, you’ll be able to see the Daily Average use of the kid’s cell phone. For checking the screen time for a particular app, tap on See All Activity.
3. The daily time spent on each app will be reflected now. Using the side arrows, you can see the total time spent on an app for the present week or month.
How To Limit Screen Time On iPhone
It’s really impressive that iOS has a native feature to restrict the app use after the set time limit exceeds.
For accessing this feature, follow the given steps.
1. Go to the iOS Settings app and select the Screen Time option from the list of various features.
2. Now select the App Limits option given below Downtime.
3. Toggle on the App Limits option in the next step.
4. You will be asked if this device is yours or your child’s. Once you select the device as your child’s, you will be given an option to set the password.
5. After that, select Add Limit to set the time for the app use.
6. The next page will show you plenty of categories. Choose the one in which that app falls, which you want to limit. Tap on Next after selecting the category.
7. Time to select the app to limit. After choosing the app(s), tap on Next.
8. Set the time that you think is enough for a child to use a particular app. Finally, tap on Add to set the time.
If all the steps were followed as told above, you would have definitely been able to set the time limit for the use of the app(s)
View And Limit Screen Time Remotely With FamiSafe
FamiSafe provides all those features that will complete the tracking of kids from all the angles. One of those features is Screen Time.
Unlike Block app, FamiSafe allows you to view and limit the screen time of the target device remotely and that too at a very low price.
FamiSafe can be a great option when you think that your child might make changes to the app that needs physical access every time you want to view and limit the screen time.
Another amazing thing about FamiSafe is that you can restrict the screen time for both Android or iOS devices.
The particular screen time for each and every app on the device can be viewed as well. And according to that data, you can block the apps that are causing addiction.
To set the timer for the cellphone usage, click on the BLOCK SCREEN option.
If the kid has been using the phone for quite a long time, simply click on BLOCK DEVICE. This will immediately lead to the unresponsiveness of all the apps on the tween’s smartphone.
For setting a timer for the device use, click on SET SCREEN TIME LIMIT. Now you’ll be able to set the desired time for which the child can use their smartphones. After that time the apps will not respond.
Make sure that the timer you set for the kid is more than the screen time already elapsed(time for which the device has already been used), else the timer can’t be set.
There’s no such hindrance related to the screen time while your child uses an iOS device.
You can learn more about FamiSafe by going through our detailed review here.
Wrapping Up
There are zillions of benefits of limiting screen time. This will keep your kids away from all the adverse effects of smartphones.
Other than that, addiction to the smartphone can also be kept under control if you limit the screen time.
Why just kids, you can use these apps to control the screen time for your own device and manage your daily routine in an effective way.
FAQ’s
What does too much screen time do?
Excessive use of the mobile phone can lead to many physical and mental problems. Along with that, addiction to the cellphone is also a major possibility.
How much time should teenagers spend on their phone?
According to research by AHA, teenagers and kids should spend a maximum of 2 hours/day on the cellphone.
Should you limit screen time?
Yes, it's really necessary to limit your screen time especially when you think you're facing the cellphone addiction. In the case of the kids also, it's necessary to restrict the screen time and create a balance.
