Urge Buddy

Quit doomscrolling

How to stop doomscrolling

The urge to scroll is quick and automatic. Here is how to break it, and how Urge Buddy gives you something else to do and can lock the apps that pull you in.

Updated November 4, 2026 · 2 min read

On this page
  1. Why scrolling is hard to stop
  2. What to do when you want to scroll
  3. How Urge Buddy helps
  4. Questions

The short answer

The urge to scroll is quick and automatic, so the fix is to make the moment conscious and give your hands something else to do. Put the phone in another room for five minutes, stand up and stretch, or step outside. Urge Buddy is an iPhone app that gives you a 1 to 5 minute task when the urge hits, and can lock the apps you choose until you check in.

Why scrolling is hard to stop

Feeds are built so there is always one more thing. Most scrolling starts on autopilot: waking up, waiting, avoiding something, winding down in bed. Noticing the moment is half the work.

What to do when you want to scroll

  • Put the phone down and stand up. A big stretch, arms up high, then roll your shoulders back.
  • Look up. Name 5 things you can see around you.
  • Do one small real thing. Clear one surface, make your bed, make a cup of tea.
  • Keep the first hour. Don’t open social apps until you’ve started your day.

How Urge Buddy helps

  1. Tap your buddy the moment the urge hits. From the app, or say “I’m craving” to Siri, or set it on the Action Button.
  2. Say where you are and how you feel. At home, out but private, or out in public; stressed, anxious, bored, lonely or low.
  3. Do the task. Your buddy picks something that takes 1 to 5 minutes and fits the moment: no squats on the bus, something calming when you’re anxious.
  4. Say how you feel now. Better counts as an urge beaten, and that count only goes up, even if you slip.

In Urge Buddy, choose Scrolling on my phone as your habit. You can also pick apps to lock at your morning and night check-ins (7:00 AM and 9:00 PM unless you change them). They stay locked until you open Urge Buddy and answer your buddy’s question, so the day starts with you, not your feed. Locking uses Apple’s Screen Time.

Urge Buddy

When an urge hits, tap your buddy and get something quick to do until it passes. For iPhone, with a 3-day free trial.

Download Urge Buddy on the App Store

Questions

How do I stop doomscrolling?

Catch the moment it starts, put the phone down, and do something with your body for a few minutes: stand up, stretch, step outside. Locking your most addictive apps until you’ve started your day helps too.

Can Urge Buddy block apps?

Yes. You choose the apps, and they lock at your morning and night check-in times until you check in with your buddy. It uses Apple’s Screen Time, and there’s no skip button.

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