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

Reddit has no screen time limit of its own. How to block Reddit on iPhone (app, reddit.com and old.reddit.com) plus the loophole most guides forget.

Léo LitricoOctober 27, 20264 min read

To block Reddit on iPhone, set a Screen Time App Limit on the app and block reddit.com and old.reddit.com in Safari. The website matters as much as the app, because Reddit works perfectly in a browser and Google sends you there all day. If you use Reddit for answers, limit long sessions instead of banning it.

Quick answer

App: Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit > Reddit, Block at End of Limit on.

Browser: reddit.com and old.reddit.com under Never Allow.

Reddit itself: no time limit, so cut its notifications and leave the subs you doomscroll.

Keep the answers, lose the rabbit hole: a session limit on app and site together.

Why is Reddit so hard to put down?

Because it doesn't feel like doomscrolling. You're reading, you're learning, the comments are funny. Then it's 1 a.m. and you're three subreddits deep in a stranger's wedding drama.

The hook is variety. The home feed mixes every interest you have, comment threads nest forever, and each links to another. Text feels productive in a way video doesn't, which makes "ten more minutes" easy to justify.

How do you block the Reddit app?

These steps work on iOS 16 through iOS 26.

Open Settings > Screen Time and turn it on if needed.
Tap App Limits > Add Limit.
Find Reddit and select it.
Pick a time: 1 minute for a near-total block, around 20 minutes for a cap.
Turn on Block at End of Limit. This needs a Screen Time passcode (Settings > Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings, or Use Screen Time Passcode on iOS 16).

Without the passcode, you just get Ignore Limit. See how to remove "Ignore Limit".

Late nights are Reddit's strongest window. Set Downtime (Settings > Screen Time > Downtime > Scheduled) from 11:00 p.m., start it before you get into bed, and keep Reddit off Always Allowed.

How do you block Reddit in Safari?

This is the loophole most guides forget. Block the app and you'll simply open reddit.com.

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

It's all or nothing in Safari and apps using Apple's web view. The downside: Reddit links in Google results get blocked too, which can get in the way of real research.

What can you change inside Reddit?

Reddit has no daily limit, break reminder or quiet mode. You can still shrink the pull:

Turn off most notifications in Settings > Notifications, especially trending posts and recommendations. They exist to bring you back.
Leave the subreddits you doomscroll. Fewer subscriptions, a less bottomless home feed.
Turn off video autoplay in Settings.

A Face ID lock (long-press the icon, Require Face ID) stops other people, not you.

Why don't these blocks hold?

Reddit is the easiest app to route around. Block the app and you use Safari; block Safari and a search result links you straight into a thread. Every built-in block can also be undone by you: "Ignore Limit", your own passcode, a switch in Settings. See Screen Time loopholes.

And a daily limit is the wrong shape. Many Reddit visits are genuinely useful: you searched for an answer and the best one was in a thread. The problem is the session that starts there and wanders.

How do you block Reddit so it holds?

Detox (iPhone and iPad) fits Reddit's shape: quick answers in, rabbit holes out.

Put the Reddit app, reddit.com and old.reddit.com in one Detox rule. App and browser share the same count.
Set a session limit, say 20 minutes in a row. Opening a thread from Google and reading the answer is fine. Once you have scrolled continuously past your limit, Reddit locks for a short break.
Let it reset. A couple of minutes away and the count goes back to zero.
Add a schedule to shut Reddit every night after 11 p.m.
Turn on Strict mode so you can't edit or delete the rule at 1 a.m. An urgent unblock covers real emergencies, once every 24 hours.

It's iOS only and paid, with a free trial.

The bottom line

Set an App Limit, and just as important, block reddit.com and old.reddit.com, since Reddit works so well in Safari. Turn off its recommendation notifications too. If Reddit is your research tool but also your 1 a.m. habit, limit continuous sessions rather than blocking it outright.

Frequently asked questions

Does Reddit have a screen time limit?

No. Reddit has no daily limit or break reminder. You need Screen Time App Limits or a blocker.

How do I block Reddit on iPhone?

Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit, select Reddit, choose a time and turn on Block at End of Limit. Then add reddit.com and old.reddit.com under Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web & Games > Web Content > Never Allow.

Can I block Reddit but still see Reddit answers in Google?

Not with a full website block; links from search get blocked too. A session limit fits better: reading one thread is fine, and only a long continuous session triggers the block.

What's the most reliable way to block Reddit on iPhone?

An App Limit with Block at End of Limit and a passcode someone else holds, plus the website block. Without relying on someone else, Detox locks Reddit once you've scrolled continuously past your limit, and strict mode stops you from editing the rule.