Doomscrolling was eating my work, my focus, and my evenings so I built an app that makes me learn a language before it'll unlock TikTok
Hello Reddit 👋
About a year ago I did the math on my screen time and it genuinely scared me — 10 to 12 hours a day on my phone. Work was slipping. The things I actually cared about, learning, getting better at anything, never happened, because every spare minute got swallowed by the feed. It was quietly wrecking me, and I think a lot of you know the exact feeling I'm describing.
What pushed me over the edge was reading more about what all this scrolling might be doing to our brains. I'm not a neuroscientist and I won't overstate it, but there's a growing pile of research into how heavy screen use affects attention, mood, and even brain structure, and enough of it worried me that I couldn't keep ignoring it.
So I built Deplug. It blocks your distracting apps, and here's the twist: to unlock them, you finish a quick language lesson first. Most blockers die the second you tap "ignore." This one makes you do one small good thing for your brain before you get back in. You either scroll less, or you accidentally start learning Spanish. Both are wins.
What it does:
🔒 Real blocking: Built on Apple's Screen Time, so it actually holds — not a willpower button you can tap away.
🗣️** Learn to unlock**: Finish a short lesson to earn your screen time back. Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, English.
🧠 Built for your brain: The whole point is fighting burnout and lost time now, and the longer-term cost of doomscrolling, while giving you something most of us never make time for.
Who it's for:
- You doomscroll more than you'd ever admit out loud
- You've always wanted to pick up a language but "never had time"
- You like clean design and apps made by someone who actually cares
The deal for this sub: I'm giving away 6 months completely free, and it will never auto-charge you. And if you're an early adopter from this June group and you genuinely find it useful, I'll make sure you keep your access past the six months too. You showed up early, I'll look after you.
This is only up for 3 days, and I've got a limited number of spots for this early group — so if it speaks to you, jump on it.
App link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/deplug-screen-time-control/id6761657344
👉 To grab it: https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6761657344&code=DEPLUGJUNE
All I ask is honest feedback once you've tried it - DM me.