OK, you say, I’ve had it! I’m DONE with the screentime shenanigans.
You’re so proud of yourself. You know you won’t regret this decision to cut back on screen time. You’re eagerly looking forward to spending more time face-to-face rather than face-to-screen.
You know what Plugged In has to say on the matter—advice such as remove screens from the bedroom at night; create phone-free zones and times; detox with a screen fast. (And if you aren’t familiar, you can download our Parents’ Guide to Technology 2026—featuring all sorts of information and practical advice regarding our screens—for free!)
But the problem you’re facing isn’t one of knowledge, it’s one of discipline.
If you’re like me, you might pull out your phone for a legitimate reason—perhaps to send a text to your spouse to grab some milk on their way home—but then you find yourself looking at other notifications. Before you know it, half an hour has gone by.
It can be so difficult to break our bad screentime habits. Our brains are practically wired to reach for those technological bricks anytime we feel even the slightest ping of boredom (to say nothing for when our phones ping us).
Luckily, there are a plethora of apps designed to help us become aware of (and get control of) our screentime habits. Today, we’re going to look at one such app called BePresent.
Note: BePresent offers a one-week free trial, then charges a $59.99 annual fee. There is no family plan. It is currently only available for iPhone users, but you can join the waitlist for Android users.
What Is BePresent?
BePresent was developed by brothers Jack and Charles Winston, who “couldn’t stop scrolling.” They built BePresent to help themselves and others take control of their screen time.
By their estimation, those who spend eight hours or more on their phones daily will waste 30 years of their lives. All that wasted time contributes to our global mental health crisis. BePresent promises to help get up to 15 of those years back by helping users reduce their screen time by more than two hours every day.
The goal with BePresent is to develop new, healthy screentime habits. The creators want you to “focus on what truly matters” by being more present (hence the name). And based on how this app works, I think it has a lot of potential for users who are committed to changing how and how often they use their phones.
How Does It Work?
When you open BePresent and set up your account, full-screen banners tell you, “BePresent combines app blocking with psychology and gamification.”
The app doesn’t tell you what to do: It asks you what you want to do.
You set your screentime goals. You set your intentions. And when you succeed, the app rewards you with streaks (for continuous daily commitments) and XP (to boost your ranking among other users). It also offers more tangible rewards—such as a free wearable fitness tracker, subscriptions to wellness apps and free monthly passes to gyms and workout classes—for successfully reducing your screen time.
BePresent accesses the screentime settings on your phone to track how much time you spend on it, which includes how many times you open individual apps and how many hours and minutes you spend on them.
It allows you to schedule “present sessions” when you want to “be present”—that is, it will block all apps (or apps you select) during specified periods of time. Some recommendations listed were “in the morning,” “before bed” and “at work.” You can schedule as many sessions as you want. You can also manually start a session at any time to further boost your XP.
BePresent also allows you to set intentions for individual apps or app categories, too. (Categories include social, games, entertainment, creativity, education, health & fitness, information & reading, productivity & finance, shopping & food, travel and utilities.) For instance, if you want to reduce your time on social media apps, you can limit the number of times you open those apps and limit the amount of time you spend on them. You can set as many intentions as you want, and these contribute to your daily streaks.
What Are the Limitations?
BePresent doesn’t want to seize control of your phone from you. Rather, the app tries to help you become more aware of your habits and change them.
On the plus side, that means that if I set a session to block apps during a specific time but then realize I need to access one of those apps, I can end my session early (unless I’m in “Beast Mode,” which has no exceptions but which I also have to manually select before starting the session). I won’t receive credit, but I won’t be locked out of my phone either. Additionally, if I’ve exceeded my daily limit for an app, it won’t block me entirely: It will ask me if I’m sure and warn me that I won’t receive credit for that intention.
One glitch—or perk, depending on how you look at it—I found was that if I’m in the middle of a session, I can change which apps are blocked from the BePresent app without losing progress on that session. This is a good option if you’re still trying to block out other apps but realize you need access to your browser app, for instance. But if you’re less disciplined, it could also act as a way for you to cheat on your goals.
Speaking of browser apps, BePresent has an option to block all apps that aren’t “productive.” The list of allowed “productive” apps included Apple’s Messenger, FaceTime, Maps and Wallet apps. However, while BePresent blocked Firefox, it didn’t block Safari, which felt counterintuitive since those two browser apps are functionally the same. (I would also argue that Safari should be blocked, since browsers still allow us to access many of the websites and social media platforms that we’re probably trying to avoid.)
Anything Else I Should Know?
BePresent’s Leaderboard tab shows you where you stand among other users. (You cannot contact these users and only their usernames are displayed.) There are different tiers based on how much XP you’ve earned that week. If you manage to stay in the top 10 of your league, you’ll get promoted to the next one.
The Screen Time tab helps you see what apps you’ve been using and for how long. It shows you the total time spent on your phone and a percentage showing how much time you have left that day.
In the Social tab, you can add accountability partners who will be texted if you fail to meet your daily goals and intentions. This feels like a great opportunity for parents and teens. If you are your child’s accountability partner, then you’ll only be notified if they fail to meet their goals. (No news is good news!) But if they fail, it can open the door for you to ask them why that day was a struggle. And if it happens multiple days in a row, you can help them evaluate whether they should alter their goals so they can be more successful. (Sometimes going cold turkey can hurt more than help.) But if your child is your accountability partner too, that can also open the door for conversation: Are you setting a good example for your children? Are you being present with them?
The Social tab also allows you to build groups. While the Leaderboard puts you in competition with random users, social groups pit you against your friends and family. Only people you invite can join your group, so there’s no chance of strangers peeking in.
Does BePresent Work?
BePresent is an excellent option for people who are ready and willing to change their screentime habits. Each Tip of the Day offers practical advice for success. And the blocking component feels insightful, not restrictive.
Parents who want to come alongside their teens will probably find the gamification aspects fun and effective. But families should also be aware that BePresent can get expensive, since in order to work as intended, every BePresent user needs to have their own $60 subscription.
To learn more about screen time, download Plugged In’s free Parents Guide to Technology 2026.
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