Reduce compulsive scrolling without restricting access.
An iOS app that interrupts long scrolling sessions with a quick, context-aware check-in. You stay in control.
Background
Prolonged, passive use of social media and short-video platforms is common among college students and has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes. A study of Facebook's staggered introduction at 775 U.S. colleges found that its arrival increased severe depression by 7% and anxiety disorders by 20%.1
Most digital self-control tools rely on restriction. In the GoalKeeper field study, locking the phone for the remainder of the day after a usage limit produced the largest reduction in weekday use, approximately 74 minutes, but also the greatest frustration.2 This points to a tradeoff between effectiveness and acceptability.
No More Scroll explores a non-restrictive alternative: brief check-ins that prompt reflection rather than enforce limits.
How it works
- 1
Selection
Users select the applications to monitor, such as Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, and the interval at which check-ins should occur.
- 2
Check-in
When the interval is reached, a system shield covers the application and presents a single question suited to the context, such as the time of day or the length of the session.
- 3
Decision
The user chooses whether to continue or to stop. The application never blocks access permanently, so the decision remains with the user.
All responses are stored on the device. Each one records whether the user considered the session intentional, and is shown alongside a daily mood rating from 1 to 10.
Research
No More Scroll is the basis of a research project in human-computer interaction by Jvalaj Pandey, a computer science student at the University of South Florida. The central question is whether an intervention can change behavior without becoming so frustrating that users disable it.
A proposed randomized field study with college students would compare three conditions: check-ins timed to context, such as late at night or deep into a long session; check-ins at a fixed interval; and no intervention. Outcomes would include app use, check-in responses and whether participants keep the intervention enabled, with daily mood as a secondary measure. A follow-up period would assess whether any changes persist.