How to reduce urges to watch porn
- May 8
- 2 min read
Turn your phone to black and white during high temptation times or in high temptation apps
Turning your phone to grayscale makes your phone less visually stimulating, which can reduce the “reward cue” your brain gets from bright colors and high-contrast images. Many apps are designed with color to grab attention and trigger quick dopamine-seeking loops, so removing color makes scrolling feel less exciting. It won’t remove temptation by itself, but it adds friction and makes your phone feel more like a tool than a slot machine.
This iOS shortcut will run the automation for you to turn grayscale mode on.
This iOS shortcut will run the automation to turn Grayscale mode off.
Additional Steps Required
On your iOS device, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters. Turn Color Filters on, choose Grayscale, and set intensity to 80%-100%
Add the Shortcuts to the home screen or download Vigilant Screen Companion to automatically run the shotrcuts for you during high temptation times or in high temptation apps as well as help reduce temptation in other ways.
Lock social media and other tempting apps during high temptation times of the day
The Vigilant Screen Companion iOS app can monitor in app for explicit content and can even block apps when explicit content is detected. It tracks habitual viewing and can then block apps during high temptation times as well as set your phone to grayscale mode if desired.
Limit screen time
Scrolling social media for long periods of time leads to your dopamine receptors getting fried and causes you to feeling the need for more interesting or exciting content. This often leads to porn usage.
Set screen time limits on iOS devices in Settings > Screen Time or in the Vigilant Screen Companion app.
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