Any rational person, fully informed on the effects of social media overuse, will take action to reduce time spent online.
This was the principle on which Vindica was designed. The purpose is simple — provide the accurate information, and a comprehensive toolkit that would allow anyone to reduce their screen time.
The primary tools of Vindica are Short Stops and Conditional Blocks.
Short Stops
End Doom Scrolling. Short Stops monitor short-term usage over 30-minute windows and block you out if you exceed your specified scroll length. They work to counter getting caught on your phone and stop you from spiralling.
Conditional Blocks
Match and then counter habits. Conditional Rules give you the choice and power. Set any trigger conditions — combinations of time of day, location, or screen time on apps — and then specify any outcome. Block apps, block them for a period, tighten the Short Stops to stricter, or allow yourself screen time. The idea is that you can match and then counter your phone habits exactly; to give full control back to you.
With these, users can build whatever kind of limits and blocks they need to match their lifestyle.
- You match your habits and your lifestyle.
- The responsibility is on you. When you get blocked, it is by something you built — meaning you are less likely to delete the app and fall back into bad habits.
Some Ideas
Own the Mornings.
Block out your main distractions for the hours around when you wake up (5am to 9am for example). Or alternatively, set a very tight scroll limit over these hours (maybe 2 mins/30 mins) so you can still check the world around you, but avoiding starting your day hooked.
Day Saver (for the uni students especially!)
If you are at home AND the time is between 8AM and 5PM on a weekday, block out all the distracting apps (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube). If you don't want that level of strictness, try to tighten the Short Stop limit to around 3 mins and extend the blocking out to 2 hours plus. This will keep you from getting caught in a 'consumption mode' and save your days.
Afternoon Insta Time (for those who genuinely enjoy a good scroll)
For all of the day you have a 5-minute doomscrolling limit. If you are at home AND the time is between 5PM and 6PM (whenever you'd like to chill out), exempt the Short Stop limit for 30 mins and allow yourself to kick back.
Vindica gives you the power to control your phone usage, not big tech.