How to Block Twitter (X) on iPhone: App and Website

To block X on iPhone, set a Screen Time App Limit on the app and block both x.com and twitter.com in Safari, since the old address still works. Then switch to the Following tab and turn off trending alerts. If you want to stay informed without the late-night refresh loop, limit long sessions instead of banning the app.

Quick answer

• App: Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit > X, Block at End of Limit on.
• Browser: x.com and twitter.com under Never Allow.
• In X: Following tab, muted words, no trending notifications.
• Informed, not doomscrolling: a session limit plus an evening block.

Why is X so hard to put down?

X is the app of just checking: the news, the replies, whether the thing everyone's angry about is still happening. Each check is short. Together they fill the day.

The For You timeline is algorithmic and endless, and outrage travels fastest, so what keeps you scrolling is often what makes you feel worst. Pull-to-refresh turns checking into a slot machine: sometimes something new, usually nothing, always worth one more pull.

How do you block X with Screen Time?

These steps work on iOS 16 through iOS 26.

1. Open Settings > Screen Time and turn it on if needed.
2. Tap App Limits > Add Limit.
3. Find X and select it.
4. Pick a time: 1 minute for a near-total block, around 20 minutes for a cap.
5. 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 a passcode, you just get Ignore Limit. See how to remove "Ignore Limit".

Protect your sleep from breaking news. News-driven doomscrolling peaks at night. Set Downtime (Settings > Screen Time > Downtime > Scheduled) from 9:00 p.m., a couple of hours before bed, and keep X off Always Allowed.

How do you block X in Safari?

Both addresses still work, so block both.

1. Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, and turn it on.
2. 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).
3. Under Never Allow, add x.com and twitter.com.

What can you change inside X?

X has no daily limit or break reminder. These make it calmer:

• Use the Following tab. A chronological feed of accounts you chose actually has an end.
• Mute words and topics: Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety > Mute and block > Muted words. Mute the subjects you spiral on.
• Cut notifications: Settings and privacy > Notifications, off for recommendations and trending.

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

Why don't these blocks hold?

X blocks leak through the browser, through links in group chats, and through fear of missing something important. A full block feels like cutting yourself off from the news, so it tends to come off during any big event. Every gap is in Screen Time loopholes.

A daily limit is also the wrong shape. Most X checks take under a minute; the damage is the evening hour of refreshing. The quick checks use up the daily total, and then you ignore it.

How do you block X so it holds?

Detox (iPhone and iPad) lets you stay informed and stops the refresh loop.

1. Add X to a Detox rule, plus x.com and twitter.com.
2. Set a session limit, say 20 minutes in a row. Looking something up or reading a thread someone sent is fine. Once you have scrolled continuously past your limit, X locks for a short break.
3. Let quick checks reset. A couple of minutes away and the count goes back to zero.
4. Add an evening schedule from 9 p.m., so breaking news can wait until morning.
5. Turn on Strict mode so a big news night doesn't become the night you delete the rule. 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, block x.com and twitter.com, switch to Following and cut trending alerts. That takes away most of the pull. To stay informed without the late-night refresh, limit continuous sessions and give news a fixed slot, as we explain in doomscrolling.

Related: How to block Reddit on iPhone · How to block Threads on iPhone · Doomscrolling: why we do it and how to stop