Limit your YouTube usage on iPhone
Set limits on YouTube before it sets limits on you.
Join the WaitlistWhy limit your YouTube usage?
Autoplay removes the decision to stop
The next video starts during the credits before you consciously choose to continue. Remove the choice entirely by removing the available time.
Recommended sidebar is a rabbit-hole machine
Every click is optimised to extend your session, not to serve what you came for. You opened one video — the algorithm opens twenty.
Long-form makes two hours feel like twenty minutes
Time distortion on YouTube is worse than any other platform. Hard daily limits are the only reliable anchor against marathon sessions.
How it works
Set your limit
Choose apps to block. Pick a daily time limit or lock specific hours — mornings, bedtime, whenever you drift.
Apps get blocked
Hit the limit and they lock. Built on Apple Screen Time — system-level, no workarounds.
Earn your 5 minutes
Before a blocked app opens, choose your reason and hold through a breathing pause. Five minutes of access. Then the block returns.
FAQ
Can I limit YouTube to certain hours only?
Yes. Restricted Hours lets you lock YouTube during specific windows — mornings, bedtime, or whenever you drift — while leaving it open the rest of the day. You can create up to 3 schedules, each with a start time, end time, and active days. Schedules can cross midnight.
Apple Screen Time limits apps silently. Kaizen Focus adds an intentional override flow — when you tap a blocked app, you must select a reason and hold a button for 5 seconds through a breathing animation before getting 5 minutes of access. Adaptive limits also tighten automatically as your habits improve.
Adaptive mode tracks your usage over time. When you consistently stay under your current limit, Kaizen Focus suggests lowering it — for example from 60 to 55 minutes. You can accept or dismiss. This gradually reduces your screen time without manual effort.
You go through a 3-step flow: select a reason (like "Quick check" or "Work-related"), hold a button for 5 seconds while a breathing animation plays, then get 5 minutes of access. After 5 minutes the block automatically reactivates.
Any app on your iPhone — Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, Reddit, YouTube, and others. Kaizen Focus uses Apple's Screen Time API for system-level enforcement. There are no workarounds.