How to Block News Apps and Websites on iPhone (and Stop Doomscrolling the News)

Last updated November 4, 2026

BlockMind

Why does checking the news turn into doomscrolling?

News is designed to feel urgent. Alerts arrive at all hours, headlines are written to make you tap, and live pages update every few minutes, so there is always something new. On a stressful news day, it is easy to refresh the same story twenty times without learning anything new. You end the evening informed about very little and more anxious than when you started.

The goal here is not to stop following the news. It is to choose when you read it, instead of letting alerts and habit choose for you.

Quick answer: 6 steps

1. Check how much time you spend on news.
2. Turn off news notifications.
3. Remove news widgets and move news apps off your Home Screen.
4. Limit or block news apps.
5. Block news websites in the browser.
6. Set one daily news window.

Step 1: See how much time news takes

Open Settings > Screen Time > See All App & Website Activity. Look for news apps, news websites, and social apps you mainly open for headlines. Note when you check them. For many people it is first thing in the morning, during work breaks and in bed at night.

Step 2: Turn off news notifications

This is the most important step. In Settings > Notifications, switch off notifications for every news app. Inside each app, also turn off breaking news and topic alerts. If you rely on alerts for genuine emergencies in your area, keep official emergency alerts on and turn off the rest.

Step 3: Remove news widgets and shortcuts

Remove news widgets from your Home Screen and Today View, and move news apps into a folder on your last page or into the App Library. If you do not want Apple News at all, you can delete it like any other app and reinstall it from the App Store later.

Step 4: Limit news apps with Screen Time

1. Open Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit.
2. Select individual news apps, or the Information & Reading category, where most news apps sit.
3. Set a daily limit, such as 15 or 20 minutes.
4. Turn on Block at End of Limit and tap Add.

The category also includes reading and reference apps, so pick individual apps if you use e-books or study apps. As with all App Limits, the Ignore Limit button lets you add more time. See how to stop bypassing Screen Time limits if that is a problem for you.

Step 5: Block news websites

Blocking an app does not stop you opening the same site in Safari. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web & Games > Web Content, choose the option that limits websites, and add the news sites you check most under Never Allow. Then test them in every browser on your phone. Our guide to blocking websites on iPhone covers the details.

If you mostly get your news from social feeds, block those too. See our guides on blocking X and blocking Reddit.

Step 6: Set a daily news window

Pick one time a day to catch up, for example 20 minutes at lunch or in the early evening. Use a source that sums up the day rather than a live feed, such as a daily briefing, a newsletter or a news podcast. Avoid the last hour before bed, when stressful headlines are most likely to keep you scrolling. Our guide on how to stop doomscrolling at night has more on this.

Block news apps and sites with BlockMind

Screen Time limits work until a big story breaks and you tap Ignore Limit. BlockMind is an iPhone app blocker built to hold up on those days:

• Block news apps and websites together in one list.
• Block on a schedule, such as all day except a lunchtime window, or every evening from 21:00.
• Set a daily usage limit if you prefer a time allowance.
• Add a turn-off cooldown from 15 minutes up to 24 hours, so a stressful headline does not undo your setup straight away.
• Use Strict Mode to lock your settings for a period you choose.

When you open a blocked news site, you see a message from your future self instead of the latest headline, and each day you keep your blocks builds a streak and grows your house. For time-based setups, see how to block apps at certain times on iPhone.

Example setups

What if news is part of your job?

If you work in media, politics or finance, a full block is not realistic. Keep the tools you need for work and block the rest: work sources open during work hours, everything blocked in the evening and at weekends. The point is to separate work reading from compulsive checking.

Related guides

• How to stop checking your phone in the morning
• How to stop phone addiction
• How to do a digital detox without giving up your iPhone
• How to reduce screen time on iPhone

Bottom line

To stop doomscrolling the news, turn off alerts, move news apps out of sight, block news apps and websites, and read the news once a day at a time you choose. Screen Time can do most of this for free. BlockMind adds schedules, a turn-off cooldown and Strict Mode so the block still holds when the next big story breaks.