Set a daily YouTube limit on iPhone or Android

Quick answer

A phone-level limit holds up better at 11 PM than willpower. Both iPhone and Android have one built in.

What 125x is: 125x is a web app at 125x.app. You connect your YouTube subscriptions, and it gives you a feed of the latest videos from the channels you follow, each with a summary: a verdict, the 5 key takeaways, and the spoiler, plus Actionable and Lessons tabs with more tips. You read that and decide what's actually worth opening.

Open 125x

iPhone: App Limits

Open Settings, then Screen Time.
Tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
Tap a category, then select YouTube.
Tap Next, set the time, and tap Add.

By default you can ignore the limit once you hit it. Apple's guide explains how to block apps during Downtime so the limit holds (Apple Support). On iOS 27 and later, Screen Time also has Schedules and Time Allowances by category (Apple Support).

Android: App timers

Open Settings, then Digital Wellbeing.
Tap App timers.
Next to YouTube, tap Set timer and choose a time.

When time runs out, the app closes and its icon dims. Timers reset at midnight. You can also add an App limits PIN so a limit is harder to undo, and set a timer for a website in Chrome (Android Help).

Make it stick

Start 15 minutes below what you use now.
Have someone else set the passcode or PIN.
Limit the browser site too, or you'll just switch.
Turn on YouTube's own reminders too. See break and bedtime reminders.

How 125x fits

With a tight limit, every minute counts. 125x gives each video from your subscriptions a summary first, so your limited time goes to the videos that earn it.

FAQ: questions people ask

How do I limit YouTube on my iPhone?

Settings, Screen Time, App Limits, Add Limit, select YouTube, set the time and tap Add.

How do I put a time limit on YouTube on Android?

Settings, Digital Wellbeing, App timers, then Set timer next to YouTube.

Can I make a Screen Time limit I can't ignore?

Apple's guide covers blocking apps during Downtime. On Android, an App limits PIN makes limits harder to change.