Screen timeUse YouTube less
Videos on everything, plus Shorts. The one video while eating becomes the evening.
YouTube is designed to be hard to put down. iOS Screen Time can cap it for free, but one tap on Ignore Limit lifts the cap. Offimo adds a pause before YouTube opens, every time.
- Type: Short video
- What pulls you back: The next one starts by itself, A feed tuned to you, A feed with no bottom, Notifications that pull you back
- On iOS alone: Screen Time, App Limits. Ignore Limit lifts it in one tap.
- With Offimo: A short pause before YouTube opens, every time.
Why YouTube is hard to put down
YouTube gives you a reason to open it: a tutorial, a song, a talk you meant to watch. Then autoplay picks the next one and the sidebar offers eight more, each chosen because people like you kept watching them.
Shorts adds a TikTok-style feed inside the app you already trust for useful things. That is what makes it hard to block: the same icon leads to a recipe and to two hours you did not plan.
The next one starts by itself
You did not choose the next video; it chose you. Stopping now takes a decision, and continuing takes none.
A feed tuned to you
What you see is chosen by a system that learns, second by second, what keeps you watching. It is very good at its job, and its job is not the same as yours.
A feed with no bottom
There is no last post. Every time you reach what looks like the end, more has loaded, so the natural stopping point a newspaper or a TV episode gives you never arrives.
Notifications that pull you back
Badges and pings arrive at moments the app picks, not moments you picked. Each one is a small reason to open it, and there are dozens a day.
When YouTube usually opens
To watch one thing you chose: a tutorial, a song. Then autoplay and the sidebar offer the next.
What YouTube costs in time
There is no honest per-app figure for YouTube that holds across countries, so we do not print one. What has been measured is the total: how long the average internet user spends online on a phone every day. Put your own YouTube time into the calculator and see what it adds up to over a year.
3h46
a day online on a phone, on average. Source: Kemp, 2025 · all our sources
How to limit YouTube on iOS without any app
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
- Find YouTube in the list (search works), select it and tap Next.
- Set the daily time you want, then tap Add.
Honest caveat: when the limit runs out, iOS offers an Ignore Limit button. One tap and you are back in YouTube. A Screen Time passcode that differs from your iPhone passcode makes that tap harder. How Offimo compares to Screen Time.
What to protect and what to leave reachable
Videos you need for work or study are a good reason to go in. The pause costs a few seconds, and Commitment Mode is for the hours you want the block firmer.
How Offimo pauses YouTube
Offimo puts a short pause between the tap and YouTube, every time you open it. You can still go in, but opening it stops being a reflex and becomes a decision.
On the simple pause, if you still want in, you go in. For the days you have already decided not to negotiate, Commitment Mode makes the block firmer for the period you choose, and Emergency Unlock opens everything for 30 minutes if something real comes up.
Frequently asked questions
Does Offimo block YouTube completely?
Not necessarily. In normal mode you can still get into YouTube. The difference is that there is a pause first, so opening it does not happen on reflex. For the moments a pause alone is not enough, there is blocking too.
Can I still open YouTube after the pause?
Yes. When the pause ends, you decide: go in on purpose, or put the phone down. Both count, because either way you chose.
Does it work with the YouTube website too?
Yes. Offimo treats the YouTube app and the YouTube website as the same destination, so the pause holds in Safari and other supported iPhone browsers as well.
Can I make the YouTube block firmer?
Yes. In Commitment Mode you pick the period and how firm the block is before you start. If something real comes up, Emergency Unlock opens everything for 30 minutes.
I need YouTube for work or study. Does a pause still make sense?
That is the case it fits best. A block would get in the way of the tutorial you actually need; a pause lets you through when you have a reason and catches you when you do not.
Other apps
See also
Read more on this topic
Screen time
Digital detox
ADHD
