There are two ways into Instagram: the app, and instagram.com in Safari. A good block covers both. This guide shows the quickest way, then the options already built into your iPhone and the catch with each, so you can pick what fits.
Looking to block someone's account rather than the app? Skip to Block an account, not the app. Setting this up for a child? See Block Instagram on your child's iPhone.
The quick way: use an app blocker
An app blocker like FocusRabbit blocks Instagram in a few taps and keeps it blocked.
- Install FocusRabbit and allow Screen Time access when asked.
- Select Instagram, and add instagram.com if you want the website blocked too.
- Choose how to block it.
You can block it:
- Right now, until you end the session. A Focused session makes you wait a moment before you can stop.
- On a schedule, like weekday mornings or every evening.
- After a daily limit, in minutes or in number of opens.
It's free, needs no account, and your Screen Time stays on your iPhone.
Block Instagram with Screen Time App Limits
App Limits are built into iOS and take a minute to set up.
- Go to Settings › Screen Time › App Limits.
- Tap Add Limit.
- Open Social, select Instagram, and tap Next.
- Set a daily time, like 15 minutes, and tap Add.
To use a different limit on weekends, tap Customize Days before you add it.
The catch: when time is up, one tap on Ignore Limit lets you back in, for a minute or for the rest of the day. To make the limit harder to skip, turn on Block at End of Limit, which needs a Screen Time passcode. If you set the passcode yourself, you know it, so some people ask a friend to set it.
Block Instagram at certain times with Downtime
Downtime blocks every app except the ones you allow, on a schedule.
- Go to Settings › Screen Time › Downtime.
- Turn on Scheduled and set the hours, like 10pm to 8am.
- In Always Allowed, make sure Instagram is not on the list.
The catch: Downtime blocks almost everything, not just Instagram, and like App Limits it can be ignored unless you turn on Block at Downtime with a passcode (Apple Support: set schedules with Screen Time).
Block instagram.com in Safari
Blocking the app doesn't stop you from opening Instagram in Safari. To block the website:
- Go to Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
- Tap App Store, Media, Web & Games, then Web Content.
- Choose Limit Adult Websites.
- Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and enter instagram.com.
On older versions of iOS, Web Content sits directly under Content Restrictions. Apple's guide covers the details: Block features or content with Screen Time.
The catch: it only covers the website, and anyone who knows the Screen Time passcode can turn it off in seconds.
Instagram's own time reminders
Instagram has its own time management settings, in your profile under Settings and activity. You can set a daily reminder for time spent in the app.
The catch: it's a reminder, not a block. You dismiss it and keep scrolling.
Delete the app
The strongest block, until the evening you reinstall it. Deleting also cuts you off from your messages. If you still need direct messages now and then, using instagram.com on a computer for those, and blocking the app on your phone, is a common middle ground.
Which option should you use?
| Option | Blocks the app | Blocks the website | Easy to skip | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FocusRabbit | Yes | Yes | Harder: a Focused session makes you wait first | Blocking at set times or after a limit |
| App Limits | Yes | No | Yes, unless a passcode is set | A gentle daily reminder |
| Downtime | Yes, with other apps | No | Yes, unless a passcode is set | Blocking everything at night |
| Web Content restriction | No | Yes | Yes, for the passcode holder | Closing the Safari loophole |
| Instagram reminders | No | No | Yes | Noticing your time |
| Deleting the app | Yes | No | Reinstalling takes a minute | A full break |
Block Instagram on your child's iPhone
If you're a parent, set up Screen Time for your child through Family Sharing, from your own iPhone. Then their limits can't be changed from their phone without your approval, and when time runs out they have to ask you for more (Apple Support: use Screen Time to manage your child's iPhone or iPad).
- On your iPhone, open Settings and tap your child's name under Family, or go to Settings › Screen Time and choose your child.
- Set App Limits for Instagram, or block it with Downtime.
- Add instagram.com under Never Allow in their web content settings.
Instagram requires users to be at least 13. FocusRabbit is built for managing your own phone, not someone else's, so for a child, Apple's Family Sharing controls are the right tool.
Block an account, not the app
If you want to stop seeing one person rather than Instagram itself:
- Open their profile in Instagram.
- Tap the ⋯ menu.
- Tap Block, or Restrict if you'd rather they didn't know.
You can also Mute an account to hide their posts and stories without unfollowing.
Common questions
Does Instagram know when I block it?
No. Blocking happens on your iPhone. Nothing is sent to Instagram, and your account is untouched. Your followers can't tell.
Will I still get Instagram notifications?
A block doesn't necessarily silence them. To stop Instagram notifications, turn them off in Settings › Notifications › Instagram, or in your notification settings inside the app.
Can I block Reels but keep messages?
Not with iPhone settings: they block the whole app. Instagram doesn't offer an option to turn off Reels inside the app either.
Scrolling more than just Instagram? Read How to stop doomscrolling.
