How to Reduce Your Social Media Time on iPhone: Check Your Time, Then Hide Only Reels and Shorts (2026)
This is the general guide for anyone who wants less time on social media overall. With minulo, you can hide Reels, Shorts and suggested posts while keeping your messages on social media (hiding is free).
You may want to spend less time on social media, but you still need Instagram DMs, group chats and messages from your team or club. The hours usually go to Reels and Shorts. This page goes in order: check your current time in iPhone settings, set a limit or schedule for social apps as a whole, then hide only the parts that keep you scrolling.
This page is written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. One of the methods compared here is my own app, so please keep that in mind. iPhone steps were checked against Apple's iPhone User Guide (iOS 27 and iOS 26) on 2026-11-02. Screen names differ between iOS versions.
1. Check how much time you spend on social media now
- Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time. If it isn't on yet, tap Manage Screen Time, then Turn On App & Website Activity (iOS 27).
- Tap Daily Average, then tap Week or Day.
- Scroll down to see your Pickups and Notifications: how many times you picked up your iPhone and how many notifications you got.
According to Apple's guide, once Screen Time is on you get a weekly report showing the time you spend on your devices and your most used apps. See how to read the Screen Time weekly report.
2. Set one limit for all social apps
On iOS 27, go to Screen Time › Time Allowances and set how long you can use a category such as Social Media each day. Tap Manage Categories, then a category, to see its average daily use; tap an app inside it to see that app's average. On iOS 26, go to App Limits › Add Limit and pick a category or individual apps. Apple's iOS 26 guide says that by default, Screen Time limits can be ignored once reached.
3. Block social apps at certain times
On iOS 27, tap Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, and create time windows for weekdays, weekends, evenings and so on. Apps and contacts in Always Allowed stay available regardless of your schedule or Time Allowances, so you can add your messaging app or family there. On iOS 26 this feature is called Downtime.
4. Hide only the parts that eat your time
Screen Time blocks a whole app, so blocking Instagram also blocks your DMs. If Reels and Shorts are what take your time, you can hide just those and keep using social media.
- Get minulo from the App Store.
- Open Instagram, YouTube or TikTok inside minulo and log in on each service's own login page. minulo never receives your password.
- Tap the gear next to Instagram, YouTube or TikTok and turn on what you want hidden: Reels and the Explore tab, suggested posts, Shorts and recommendations, or the For You feed. Hiding is free.
- In the Block tab, choose the official Instagram, YouTube or TikTok app and start a block. Tapping its icon shows a block screen, and Open in minulo takes you to the version without Reels. Free blocks last up to 2 hours each.
minulo Pro (US $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year) adds schedules and blocks longer than 2 hours.
Here are minulo's weak points too. Reels and Shorts are hidden only inside minulo; the official apps don't change. While minulo blocks an official app, that app's notifications don't arrive, and minulo doesn't send them for it. You can't post Stories, send voice messages or make calls. minulo is an iPhone app, and there is also a Mac app that works with Safari and Chrome. There is no Android version yet. It launched recently and has few ratings so far. See what minulo can't do.
Where can I see how many hours I spend on social media?
Open Settings › Screen Time and tap Daily Average. You can see your use by week or by day and your most used apps (iOS 27).
Will my messaging app count toward the social media limit?
On iOS 27, tap Time Allowances › Manage Categories and then a category to see which apps it covers. If you don't want to block a messaging app, add it to Always Allowed.
How many hours a day of social media is OK?
This page doesn't set a target. It is easier to keep going if you first look at your current time and then decide which hours or apps to cut.
I want to reply to DMs but spend less time on social media
Open social media inside minulo to use DMs with Reels, Shorts and suggested posts hidden (hiding is free). You can keep the official apps locked with minulo's Block tab.
I keep ignoring my Screen Time limit
Apple's iOS 26 guide says limits can be ignored by default once reached. See the page on turning off Ignore Limit for ways to make it harder.
Sources