How do I block social media while working from home?

Updated 2026-10-29

Pick the social apps and sites that actually pull you off task, then block them on every screen within reach, phone and computer, for fixed work blocks instead of all day. A timer you cannot negotiate with beats willpower, because the urge to check peaks right when the work gets hard. Keep the phone out of arm's reach, and schedule the blocks so you are not deciding each morning.

Why social media wins when you work from home

In an office, other people see you drift. At home nobody does, so the only thing between you and the feed is a decision, and you make that decision dozens of times a day. Decisions made while stuck on a hard task go badly.

Two things fix this: take the decision away, and cover every screen. A blocker on the phone alone just sends you to the laptop. A blocker you can talk your way out of is a suggestion.

Limits that you can dismiss with one tap are the usual reason they fail. There is a longer write-up on why Screen Time limits stop holding.

Build the social media block list on iPhone

A block list is a named set of apps and websites to restrict. Make one just for social media, so you can pick it in one tap every work day.

Open the Block Lists tab and tap +.
Name the list something plain, like Social.
Pick the apps. Choose the ones you actually open when you stall, not only the ones you think you should block.
Pick the websites too. If you block only the app, the mobile site in a browser becomes the loophole.

If your job needs one of these platforms, leave it off this list or keep a second list for the days you need it. A list that blocks something you need gets abandoned, and then you have no list at all.

Start a focus session from the Focus tab

The list does nothing until a session is running. Starting one takes a few taps.

Open the Focus tab.
Select your Social list.
Choose how long the session runs. Match it to one real task or one stretch of work you can honestly finish.
Turn on the Super Strict Mode toggle if you want the session to hold, then start it.

While the session runs, blocked apps and sites are redirected back to bloq. The session blocks for its full length. A bloq ends when the timer ends, not when the craving does. When the timer ends, every synced screen is unblocked at once.

For the basics of how a session behaves, see what is a focus session and how does it work.

Super Strict Mode: for the days you do not trust yourself

With Super Strict Mode on, you cannot pause the timer, stop the session, or edit the active block list. You also cannot delete the app during a session, and there is no snooze button.

It cannot be turned off mid-session either, so decide before you tap start. Two habits help:

Check the list first. Anything you need for work has to be off it, because you cannot edit it once the timer is running.
Pick a length you can live with. Short, repeatable blocks beat one heroic block you resent.

The full rules are in how Super Strict Mode works.

Cover your Mac and your phone together

Remote work usually means a laptop and a phone on the same desk. Blocking one just moves the habit to the other. Sessions, schedules and block lists sync through your account between iPhone and Mac, so starting a session on one device blocks the other at the same moment.

On Mac, websites are blocked system-wide, so switching between Safari, Chrome, Arc or any other browser does not get around it.
The Mac app is a direct download from bloq.ac. Grab it from the Get bloq page.
For a deeper look at the Mac side, read how to block websites on Mac.

Make the iPhone side reliable

When a session starts on your Mac, the iPhone is woken by a silent notification to apply the block. That only works if the setup is right:

Turn on Background App Refresh, globally and for bloq (Settings > General > Background App Refresh).
Do not force-quit the app. iOS never wakes an app you have swiped away in the app switcher.
Low Power Mode can delay the wake-up.
Opening bloq always syncs and applies the block immediately.

So sync is not instant in every case. If you start on the Mac and want the phone locked right now, open bloq on the phone once.

Let a schedule start the work day for you

Scheduled sessions start focus sessions automatically, and schedules sync across iPhone and Mac through your account. Set your work blocks once and the decision is gone. Tomorrow starts itself.

If you want some social media during the day, use a limit session instead of a full block. It watches how long you use the selected apps and websites each day. Once you pass your allowance (30 minutes, for example), they are blocked until midnight, and the counter resets every day at midnight.

On Mac, time counts while the app or website is active in front of you. On iPhone, Screen Time does the counting. If scrolling is the real problem, 7 tactics that stop doomscrolling pairs well with a block list.

When blocking is not the right answer

bloq covers iPhone and Mac. A work device outside those two is not covered.
If social media is part of your job, a daily limit fits better than a full block.
If you reach for the feed because a task is vague, the block stops the escape but does not make the task clearer. Write down the next concrete step before you start the session.
Put the phone in another room if you can. A block removes the apps, and distance removes the reflex.

The point is not to feel virtuous. It is to get your hours back for the physical world.

Try it

bloq locks distracting apps and websites on your Mac and iPhone at once. Start a session on one device and the other locks the same second.

Download bloq for Mac Get it for iPhone

Frequently asked questions

Can I block social media on my phone and Mac at the same time?

Yes. Sessions and block lists sync through your account, so a session started on one device blocks the other. On iPhone it depends on Background App Refresh, and it will not wake a force-quit app, so open bloq on the phone if you need it applied right now.

What happens when I tap a blocked app during a session?

Blocked apps and sites are redirected back to bloq. The session keeps blocking for its full length, and there is no snooze button.

Do I need an account to try it?

No. The site says bloq is free to start and needs no account to try. Cross-device sync runs through your account.

Does the Mac block social sites in every browser?

Website blocking on Mac is system-wide, so it covers Safari, Chrome, Arc and any other browser. Switching browsers does not get around it.