A day-by-day phone detox plan to drop in your group chat. Seven small steps, a nightly check-in, and a forfeit for whoever scrolls the most.

Seven apps that bring a friend into your screen time, grouped by how they work: one-way approval, mutual pairs and groups. Prices, platforms and verdicts.

Apps that turn the group chat's "we should all..." into something you actually do together: screen time, exercise, big commitments and focus sessions.

Freshers' week is full of people on their phones because it's easier than saying hi. How to make friends offline, keep lectures phone-free, beat the FOMO.

Getting a friend to set your Screen Time passcode mostly works. How to set it up well, where it falls down, and when an app does the same job better.

Who to ask, three copy-paste scripts (casual, honest and group chat), and the four things to agree so your screen time accountability doesn't fizzle.

House rules for phones that don't feel like school: the phone basket, a Sunday offline hour, fair forfeits, and how to make it fun rather than a nag.

The simplest trick for a phone-free dinner with friends: stack your phones, and the first to touch theirs pays. Classic rules, plus a few twists.

Every digital detox we tried ended in a six-hour scroll. A planned day off each month works better. What a rot day is, why it helps, and how to plan one.

You hit your limit and tap "Ignore" without reading it. Why that button exists, and three ways round it: a passcode, someone else's passcode, and friends.

A free screen time pact to paste into your group chat: daily goal, phone-free times, check-ins, break days and a forfeit. Fill in the blanks and you're in.

BePresent and Snitch both make cutting screen time social. BePresent leans on points, leagues and challenges; Snitch on a small group sharing one limit.

Brick locks your apps until you tap your phone on a puck. Snitch skips the hardware and uses your friends. Cost, getting out early, and who each suits.

Clearspace puts a moment of friction, or a few push-ups, between you and the apps you overuse. Snitch puts your friends there. Which one suits you?

Forest is a classic for focus sessions: put your phone down and a tree grows. Snitch caps your whole day, with friends. Which you need, or use both.

Both apps bring a friend into your screen time. Friend Controls gives one friend the keys; Snitch puts your whole group in it together. Which suits you?

FriendLock gives you an hour of phone time for every selfie with a friend. Snitch is about friends too, but works the other way round. How they differ.

LockPact and Snitch both make screen time accountability go both ways. LockPact is built for pairs; Snitch for groups of up to 5. How to choose.

one sec makes you pause before opening an app; Snitch brings your friends in. When a pause is enough, when it isn't, and how to use both.

Opal is the best-known solo blocker; Snitch is for people who need other people. How they work, what they cost, and who each one is for.

ScreenZen is a well-loved free app that adds a wait before distracting apps open. Snitch adds your friends. When a delay is enough, and when it isn't.

Phubbing is snubbing the person in front of you for your phone. Why it stings, how to stop if you're the phubber, and what to say if you're being phubbed.

Cut your screen time and there's suddenly a gap. Offline ideas for 10 minutes, an hour, an evening or a whole day, best done with friends cutting down too.

Most screen time apps leave you holding the keys, and cold turkey backfires. What works better: other people, planned breaks and something to do instead.