How to Block Reddit on iPhone (App and Website, 2026)

Reddit is sneaky. It doesn't feel like doomscrolling — you're reading, you're learning things, the comments are funny. Then it's 1am and you're three subreddits deep in a thread about a stranger's wedding.

Unlike TikTok or Instagram, Reddit doesn't give you any built-in time limit at all. So if you want it blocked, you have to do it at the iPhone level — and Reddit's heavy use in browsers means the website matters as much as the app.

Quick answer: on iPhone, the most reliable built-in way to block Reddit is Settings → Screen Time → App Limits, with Block at End of Limit on and a Screen Time passcode someone else holds. Add reddit.com and old.reddit.com to the blocked websites so the browser isn't a back door. If you want a block that holds even when you're mid-scroll, use a dedicated blocker (more below).

Why is Reddit so hard to put down?

Reddit's hook is variety. The home feed mixes every interest you have, so there's always one more post worth opening. Comment threads are nested and endless, and each one links to another. And because so much of Reddit is text, it feels productive in a way video apps don't — which makes it easier to justify another ten minutes.

How do I block Reddit with Screen Time App Limits?

These steps work on iOS 16 through iOS 26.

1. Open Settings → Screen Time. If it's off, turn it on.
2. Tap App Limits → Add Limit.
3. Find Reddit — open the categories or use the search bar — and select it.
4. Set a time. To block it almost completely, choose 1 minute; to cap it, choose something like 20 minutes.
5. Turn on Block at End of Limit. (You need a Screen Time passcode for this — Settings → Screen Time → Lock Screen Time Settings, or Use Screen Time Passcode on iOS 16.)

When the limit hits, Reddit greys out on your Home Screen. Without a passcode, though, the limit screen just offers Ignore Limit — which is why the passcode matters. See how to remove "Ignore Limit".

How do I block Reddit at certain times?

For a time window — nights, work hours, dinner — use Downtime:

1. Settings → Screen Time → Downtime.
2. Turn on Scheduled and pick your hours (e.g. 11:00pm → 7:00am).
3. Under Always Allowed, make sure Reddit is not on the list.

Reddit's pull is strongest late at night, when long comment threads are easiest to fall into. A Downtime window that starts before you get into bed does a lot of the work.

How do I block Reddit in Safari and other browsers?

An App Limit only covers the app. Reddit works perfectly well in a browser, so close that door too:

1. Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions (turn it on).
2. App Store, Media, Web & Games → Web Content → Limit Adult Websites (on iOS 16 to 18.0, the first menu is called Content Restrictions or Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content).
3. Under Never Allow, add reddit.com and old.reddit.com.

This blocks the site completely in Safari and in apps that use Apple's web view. It's all-or-nothing — there's no time limit option for websites here.

Does Reddit have a built-in time limit?

No. Reddit doesn't offer a daily limit, break reminders or a quiet mode for your own usage. What you can do inside the app:

• Turn off most notifications: Settings → Notifications — especially trending posts and recommendations, which exist to bring you back.
• Leave subreddits you doomscroll: fewer subscriptions make the home feed less bottomless.
• Turn off autoplay for videos in Settings.

For an actual block, you need Screen Time or a blocker.

Can I lock Reddit behind Face ID?

Yes. On iOS 18 and later, long-press the Reddit icon, tap Require Face ID, and confirm. You can also choose Hide and Require Face ID to move it into a hidden folder in the App Library.

It adds a second of friction and stops other people opening the app — but your own face unlocks it instantly, so it won't stop you.

Why don't these blocks hold?

Reddit is the easiest app to route around, because it works so well in a browser. Block the app and you'll open reddit.com in Safari; block that and a Google search result links you straight to a Reddit thread. And because so many answers online live on Reddit, blocking it completely can get in the way of genuine research.

More broadly, every built-in method has the same weakness: you set it, so you can undo it. The App Limit has an "Ignore Limit" button or a passcode you know; Downtime has "Ignore Limit" too; the website block can be switched off in Settings; Face ID is your own face. We cover every gap in Screen Time loopholes.

And a daily limit is the wrong shape for Reddit. A lot of Reddit visits are legitimately useful — you searched for an answer and the best one was in a thread. The problem is the session that starts there and wanders. A daily total can't separate the two.

What's a way to block Reddit that actually holds?

Detox is an iPhone and iPad app built for the moment the built-in tools fail: mid-scroll, low willpower.

• Consecutive-usage limit: open a Reddit thread from a search result and read the answer — that's fine. Once you've been scrolling Reddit continuously past your limit (say 20 minutes), Detox hard-blocks the Reddit app for a cooldown. Step away for about a minute and the counter resets, so quick checks never add up to a lockout.
• Schedules: block Reddit completely at set times — e.g. every night after 11pm.
• Focus sessions: a countdown block for deep work or study.
• Websites too: add reddit.com and old.reddit.com so the browser isn't a way round.
• Strict mode: while a block is active you can't edit or delete it, and Detox can stop you deleting the Detox app itself during a strict block. The emergency unblock is capped at one per 24 hours.

Detox blocks the whole Reddit app, not individual parts of it. It's iOS only, paid, with a free trial.

Which method should you use?

The bottom line

To block Reddit on iPhone, set a Screen Time App Limit with Block at End of Limit, and — just as important — add reddit.com and old.reddit.com to Never Allow, since Reddit works so well in Safari. Turn off Reddit's recommendation notifications while you're at it. If you use Reddit for research but lose hours to it, limit continuous sessions rather than blocking it outright.

Related: How to block X (Twitter) on iPhone · Doomscrolling: why we do it and how to stop · How to block apps on iPhone: every method ranked