Doomscrolling happens to the best of us. Algorithms across social platforms are finely tuned to feed you content and posts that keep you locked in. It can be hard to pull yourself away even when you’re consuming a barrage of news about the state of the world online.

While we certainly don’t encourage people to turn away from the news, we also know it’s important to take breaks. A recent MIT study found that social media can create a negative feedback loop: those who are already struggling with their mental health are more likely to consume negative content, which makes their mental health worse.

Unplugging is easier said than done. There are dozens of apps tailored to that purpose. New, built-in iOS and Android features aim to make it harder to endlessly and mindlessly scroll through your phone. But what actually works?

We asked readers to tell us what they use to make sure they’re not glued to their phones. Among the more than 200 responses, people told us they used apps to lock them out of their phones after a certain amount of time; others just deleted all social media; and some went as far as to use “dumb” phones all the time. Respondents ranged in age from 24 to 69, from California to Morocco. Here are some of the apps, tricks and tips Guardian readers suggested. These responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Get rid of your apps

I deleted news apps from my phone and now check the news (once a day) by forcing myself to type in the URL for BBC and Guardian news. That extra step has helped resist the urge to check constantly. I have also managed to turn Apple News into an old-fashioned URL feed by selecting “Restrict Stories in Today” in Settings > Apps > News > Today Feed. I now only see articles from channels and topics I choose to follow … and I have carefully selected only non-news content (music, films, TV, etc) to keep me inspired. I also removed myself from social media … and read more paper books. When I have a minute where I would reach for my phone (waiting for the kids, at an appointment), I now carry a book with me everywhere.
William, 43, Santa Cruz, California

I don’t use a service. I just deleted all the apps. Everybody who talked to me before talks to me now just over text.
Anthony Callisto, 24, California

I feel like the underlying issue with people trying to avoid doomscrolling with yet another app or service is the methodology itself. All of them demand that you still look at and use your phone. I simply deleted any app that caused doomscrolling in the first place, and the results have been fantastic for my mental health. My phone is back to being just a tool again, and not a buzzing, notification-fueled chaos machine.
Samuel Cross, Madison, Wisconsin

Actually, use a different app

I came upon the Roots app several years ago for meditation and they recently added a feature to limit your scrolling. Sounds like it should be easy to do on your own – but reality is, your brain gets caught up in it and it is almost impossible to do alone.
Stacy, 65, Georgia

I use the Roots app – I like that it gives me the option to lock apps from myself after a certain amount of usage and that I can see how well I’m doing to reach the goals I’ve set for myself.
Remi Jean, 28, New York

I use the Freedom app to block websites for specified amounts of time. I use it primarily on my work laptop, but the app allows you to block apps and websites on multiple devices you link to your account. I will peek in on Facebook for a few minutes in the morning, then block it the rest of the day. If I mindlessly go to Facebook during this time, the screen will fill with a tranquil lime green and remind me that I’m blocked. It’s in effect nicely telling me to go do something else with my time.
Jared Bates, 52, Hanover, Indiana

I use Opal. I find it very easy to get hooked in to scrolling so I have quite extreme settings: 10 hours of the day I completely block Instagram, then I’m allowed to unlock it five times for 10 minutes each time. I still find myself overriding the locks, which is frustrating, but it’s the only way that has consistently worked for me. Since I’m a student, I’ll check Instagram messages on my laptop and encourage friends to contact me by other means.
Anonymous

Libby, the library app. It’s connected to my library card, and I can check out ebooks and audiobooks for free. Right now, I have a couple of Agatha Christies on the go, and I’m in the queue for a couple other titles. And if scrolling is really what I need to do, I can page through books on offer and find my next read. Highly recommend.
Rena Carlson Rasmussen, 47, Minnesota

Turn your phone off. Seriously

There is nothing that stops me being distracted by all manner of shiny things on my smartphone (I have been recently diagnosed with ADHD) and so the only thing to stop me doomscrolling is to turn my phone off and do something else.
Tim Rutter, Hathersage, England

Use a ‘dumb’ phone or make your phone look like one

I use the Smile App Launcher, which makes my phone look boring as hell. I have it set up to look like a light phone or dumb phone, if you will.
Alex B, 38, Ontario, Canada

No apps as such but I did purchase a “dumb phone” and it does help. Why no company has created a budget smartphone that only lets you access podcasts/chat/photos/etc is beyond me.
Mike, UK, 41

My smartphone was nicked while I was in Amsterdam this summer. My initial impulse was to replace it immediately, which is what I have done whenever an old phone broke or was stolen. However, this time I decided to wait and see how I would get by without a phone for a while. It’s less convenient, of course. I’ve been going to the bank to make payments, rather than doing them online. I have a landline, which I hadn’t really used previously. My friends can really only reach me via email, which was an adjustment. On the whole, though, I haven’t missed my phone yet. I’ve been reading books again instead of essentially doomscrolling news apps, including this one, and YouTube shorts. I don’t know if “service” covers “theft”. Nonetheless, I feel as if the theft rendered a service by returning time to my life.
Thomas, Edinburgh

Use the iPhone and Android features to limit screen time

The best way to combat doomscrolling is Screen Time on Apple products. For one year now, I’ve blocked Facebook, Instagram, 9gag and YouTube on my phone. My overall screen time has drastically reduced, thankfully. Completely blocking these apps has given me my life back. I still have them available on my laptop if I need to send a message or the occasional browse, but they’re not as addicting on the desktop. I’m waiting for the day when society decides to permanently move on from social networks. Nothing good comes from them anymore.
Adam Woolman, 29, Bordeaux, France

The built-in Digital Wellbeing app on Android phones allows you to put a screen-time widget on your home screen. Being confronted by the number of hours and minutes you’ve spent staring into the abyss when you unlock your phone makes you think twice about succumbing to the digital junk food.
Rob, 33, Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Rearrange your phone or use a browser instead of an app

I have moved news apps and social media apps off the front screen of my phone – they are relegated to second or third screens. On the front screen, I have apps like Duolingo, Bolinda audio, a podcast app, DailyArt, Notes, Lists, Google Maps, etc. The objective is to do something productive such as learning a language, learning about art, listening to a book or listening to a history podcast in place of doomscrolling.
Nicola Reiss, 69, Essaouira, Morocco

The most effective thing I have found is to delete the phone app versions of the most scroll-inducing apps (such as Facebook and Instagram) and only access them on my laptop. The layout on the laptop browser is much clunkier and less conducive to endless scrolling, but I can still keep my account to stay up to date with what is going on with my friends and family. I used to scroll on Instagram for hours a day. Now I just open it for 10 minutes on my laptop, check my friends’ posts and messages, then close it. The awkward layout of Instagram on a web browser produces no desire to scroll.
Anonymous

Delete the apps from mobile – eg, Instagram – and only access their content on a desktop browser. Of course it’s not optimal and that’s the very reason it’s effective. You achieve your purpose without being sucked in to doomscroll so much.
Pauline, London