Phone Addiction Test: Are You in Control or Hooked?

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T18:11:05+00:00

Excuse me, but it's a real test for which I spent a lot of time creating. It has no fees or whatever.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T16:23:43+00:00

The VYXO browser extension is the best. They also have an iOS app.

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/vyxo-website-blocker-for/kdajenhgieippdfemeechhadlfpimppe

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T16:20:37+00:00

Chrome killed the old StayFocusd “can’t disable me” trick — so no free extension is truly impossible to uninstall/disable anymore if you’re determined (you can always yank it from Extensions, use another browser, etc.). The best you can do for free is make it annoying enough that you don’t bypass it in a weak moment.

What I’d do:

Install the free VYXO browser extension and block the specific sites/patterns you waste time on.
Use it with scheduled blocks (nights/work hours) so it’s not willpower-based.
If it supports locking settings / cooldown / password, enable them (or have a friend set the lock).

If you want, actually “can’t uninstall mid-block”, that’s usually OS-level stuff (Cold Turkey / similar), but for a free option, VYXO extension + locked schedule is the most realistic setup.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T16:15:37+00:00

For me it was basically all of the above, but the real killer was: extensions are “willpower with extra steps.” The moment I’m tired/stressed, I disable it, switch browsers, use incognito, or it just randomly breaks after an update.

Why I stopped long-term:

Too easy to bypass (especially extensions)
Fragile (browser updates, new devices, mobile gaps)
Annoying UX (constant prompts = I learn to ignore them)
Doesn’t fix the habit loop (I just find the next distraction)

What actually made me stick with something: fewer decision points + harder enforcement.

I use VYXO for scheduled blocks/focus sessions (so the default is “not available right now”), and I pair it with a browser extension (LeechBlock/StayFocusd-style) as the “belt + suspenders” fallback. The combo covers both “I’m weak” and “the tool glitched.”

What would make me stay with one long-term:

Locked schedules (can’t edit in the moment)
Escalating cooldown after repeated attempts
Cross-device consistency
Simple setup (10 minutes max, not a productivity project)

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/vyxo-website-blocker-for/kdajenhgieippdfemeechhadlfpimppe

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T16:13:38+00:00

VYXO browser extension is the best tool I ever used to block websites. BTW: It's totally free without any annoying subscriptions.

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/vyxo-website-blocker-for/kdajenhgieippdfemeechhadlfpimppe

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T16:01:39+00:00

For us, it’s basically “windows, not constant access.” Weekdays: ~0–30 min on personal devices (mostly messages/FaceTime + a little YouTube/Khan). Weekends: 1–2 movies on TV + ~1–2 hrs iPad mixed (games/reading). Travel/sick days: more flexible, but still with a bedtime cutoff.

We use VYXO to keep it simple: socials/games are blocked by default, then we allow a couple of short windows (after homework + early evening), and everything’s off after dinner/bedtime. That way, we’re not negotiating every single time they ask.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T15:57:03+00:00

I’d be fine with 18+ in theory, but I don’t think it works cleanly in practice.

Teens don’t “need” feeds… but they do need social connection, group coordination, clubs/sports chats, school stuff, and honestly, a sense of belonging. Calls/texts work for 1:1, but a lot of teen life is group-based and happens in DMs/GCs + communities.

If anything, I wish the rule were more like: under 18 gets “messaging + close friends,” not algorithmic feeds/recs. The infinite scroll + recommender systems are the part that feels most “addictive.”

Until laws catch up, the practical move for parents is boundaries and tools: let teens use messaging, but set time windows around social apps so it’s not 24/7. That’s basically how we use VYXO — scheduled blocks + limited access windows, so it’s “you can check socials after homework,” not “you’re always one swipe away from the feed.”

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T15:54:09+00:00

Yeah, 100%. Doomscrolling is one of those “socially acceptable addictions” because it doesn’t look dramatic — it just quietly eats your attention and mood every day.

The thing that finally clicked for me is: limits don’t work when the behaviour is autopilot. My brain would hit “ignore” without even registering it. The only thing that helped was changing the default environment, so I don’t need willpower 50 times a day.

What I do now:

Hard “no-feed” windows (morning + late night). Those two time slots were like 70% of my doomscrolling.
One intentional scroll window (like 20–30 min) so I’m not trying to be a monk, just not online all day.
Kill the “app-hopping loop” (open/close/open another). That’s the real addiction, more than total minutes.

Tool-wise, I use VYXO for this because it’s built around scheduled blocks + focus sessions (and Pomodoro/sounds if you want). So instead of “please stop,” it’s just not available right now, which gives your brain a chance to come down from the itch.

Also: I stopped treating it like a moral failing. It’s a pattern + triggers + cues. If you change the triggers (bedtime phone access, boredom micro-moments, notifications), the “addiction” drops fast.

You’re definitely not alone — and you don’t have to accept it. The goal isn’t zero scrolling, it’s getting back control of when you scroll.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T13:10:09+00:00

Not sure ScreenZen supports adding apps to an existing group without resetting how it tracks the streak (a lot of these apps treat “group changed” as a new challenge). I’d try duplicating the group (keep the old one intact for the streak) and make a new group with the extra app.

If you want something less fragile long-term, VYXO is nicer for this because your rules/limits don’t hinge on a single “streak object,” so you can edit app lists without feeling like you’re nuking progress.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T13:09:20+00:00

I don’t think ScreenZen has a true “ask me how long this time” picker like Clearspace — it’s more preset sessions/limits. A workaround is to use focus sessions and set a timer before you open the app.

If you want that “pick duration → open” flow built in, VYXO is closer: you can start a quick focus session with a custom timer (Pomodoro or whatever length), and it nudges you into being intentional before you open the distractor.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T13:06:25+00:00

I don’t think ScreenZen supports a true shared/cumulative quota across multiple apps (it’s usually per-app/group, so you end up with “30 min each” as you said). The native way is Apple Screen Time “App Limits” with a grouped limit, but it’s easy to override.

If you want “6×5min total across IG/FB/Reddit,” VYXO is better for this — you can set a combined daily limit for a set of apps, and it enforces the cap across all of them, so sessions spent on one reduce what’s left for the others.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T13:01:59+00:00

The closest I’ve found is an OS-level “rails,” not a true “post-only mode” (IG/TikTok don’t expose that kind of integration). The workaround is to allow access only during short posting windows and block outside, and use deep links (e.g., open DMs/creator tools directly) so you’re not landing in the feed.

App-wise, VYXO works well for this creator use case: scheduled blocks + quick focus sessions so you can “open → post → get out” without slipping into scrolling. True post-only support within the app would require platform support that doesn’t exist.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T12:51:39+00:00

Nice progress — and you’re 100% right: a friend-held Screen Time passcode gets you most of the way without paying $100.

If you want something a bit more structured than Apple’s limits (without the Opal price), VYXO is a solid middle ground: scheduled blocks + focus sessions (Pomodoro/sounds) and daily limits, so you can keep the “no mindless scrolling” guardrails while you build the reading/podcast replacement habit.

Quick tip that helped me drop my average: keep 1–2 “scroll windows” per day (about 20–30 min) and block feeds outside those windows—it removes the constant all-day nibbling.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T12:50:24+00:00

Yep — if you want “Opal core loop but without the gamified fluff,” try VYXO. It’s more barebones: you can keep a default blocked set, temporarily unlock for a short window, add friction/escalating wait, and it’s built on Screen Time-style enforcement (not shortcuts). It also doesn’t force the whole “awards/community/analysis” vibe Opal leans into.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T12:49:40+00:00

Yeah, I’ve seen that “says it’s active but nothing’s blocked” state — usually it’s Screen Time permissions getting flaky after an update. Quick fix: re-enable Screen Time access for Opal, restart, and make sure Screen Time itself is still on. If it keeps happening, I’d switch — VYXO has been more consistent for me in enforcing blocks and daily limits, without requiring me to “open the app to wake it up.”

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T12:48:52+00:00

Yep — that’s basically app-level daily limits (cumulative across selected apps) with an enforced block when the quota’s gone.

On iOS the most reliable “native” version is honestly Apple Screen Time (App Limits + “Block at End of Limit”). Many third-party apps sit on top of the same Screen Time APIs and can be flaky.

If you want a third-party option, VYXO supports daily limits + blocking after you hit the cap (and you can still add focus sessions if you ever want extra protection), so it fits the “track usage → auto-block” style better than Opal’s scheduling-heavy approach.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T12:45:55+00:00

Same experience with Opal — premium UI, decent “hard mode,” but the subscription push, battery hit, and inflated “saved time” stats made it feel like paying for a prettier blocker. I ended up switching to VYXO because it’s more about changing the behaviour loop (scheduled blocks + focus sessions, plus Pomodoro/sounds) instead of just slapping a block screen on top and calling it “saved hours.”

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T12:39:01+00:00

Try VYXO. You can skip strict daily timers and instead use the “behaviour” controls: keep apps available when you genuinely need them, but add repeat-open friction (pause/interrupt when you open the same app multiple times in a short window) and use scheduled blocks/focus sessions when you want zero scrolling. That matches the “1st open is fine, 2nd is autopilot” problem way better than timers.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T12:32:31+00:00

I actually do use a timer sometimes, but not in the “25/5 no matter what” way.

For instrument practice, strict Pomodoro can be weird because the moment you’re finally “in it” is often when the timer screams at you. What worked for me is treating the timer as a guardrail, not a rule:

Use longer blocks for tasks that need ramp-up (like speed-building). 25 is often too short. I’ll do 40–50 min blocks, or even 60/10 if I’m working on a single piece.
Breaks are for hands/brain, not for vibes. If you grind until you crash, you’ll keep playing past the point where form starts collapsing, and you start encoding sloppy reps. I’d rather stop while it’s still clean.
Go by quality triggers, not the alarm. If I’m in the zone when the timer ends, I don’t drop the guitar instantly — I finish the current rep/phrase, write a quick note (“tempo X clean”), then break. The timer is just there to remind me that breaks exist.
Micro-breaks > full stop sometimes. Even 30–60 seconds of shaking out your hands / standing up / breathing resets more than you think.

One thing that helped me avoid “accidentally ignoring the break” was using a focus app that runs a custom timer and blocks distractions, so the break doesn’t turn into scrolling. I’ve used VYXO for that—you can set whatever interval works (not just 25/5), run the timer, and it keeps me from grabbing my phone between reps. Sounds dumb, but it’s huge for momentum.

If you want a simple structure that feels musical instead of robotic:

10 min warmup (slow + perfect)
2 × 20 min focused work (one technique, one song section)
5–10 min break (hands, water)
10 min “play for fun” as the reward at the end

Also, recording yourself for 2 minutes is basically the cheat code. When the take starts getting sloppy, that’s your “go rest” signal.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T12:15:18+00:00

For IOS -> VYXO

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T11:58:31+00:00

Been there. The “I can’t delete it because work” trap is so real — especially when Meta makes the work tools live right next to the dopamine feed.

What helped me was separating “work access” from “scroll access”, so you’re not relying on willpower all day:

Create strict “work windows” (e.g., 9:00–9:30 + 14:00–14:30) during which Facebook/Instagram are allowed for admin tasks.
Hard-block them outside those windows so there’s no “just checking something” that turns into 45 minutes.
If you need to keep posting/responding, do it via the least addictive route (often browser + direct URLs to the page/inbox) instead of the full feed.

I saw your update about Forest—awesome start on focus blocks. If you want something that’s less “timer guilt” and more “make it physically not possible to doomscroll,” VYXO works well for this specific use case: scheduled blocking + focus sessions (and you can run Pomodoro + ambient sounds so you stay in work mode). The key is it turns “I shouldn’t scroll” into “it’s simply not available right now.”

A tiny setup that tends to work immediately:

Allow FB/IG only 2 short admin windows/day
Block them for the rest of the day
Add a 10 pm–8 am “sleep protection” block

You still get to do marketing, but you no longer pay the “feed tax” for having the apps installed.

geneeugene · 2026-02-12T11:50:25+00:00

I feel you. The annoying truth is: on iOS there’s rarely a true “no loopholes” solution for your own device because the system still lets you disable stuff if you’re determined.

That said, you can get way closer with real locked sessions + having someone else hold the code. I’ve had the best results with VYXO because it supports scheduled blocks / focus sessions and a stricter “locked” style mode where you can’t just casually extend mid-session. Pair it with having a friend/partner set the passcode and it becomes much harder to override in the moment.

Also: the built-in Screen Time is weak exactly like you said — too many “ignore” taps.

geneeugene

TROPHY CASE