Inspiration
I have a problem. Not just me, but millions of high schoolers constantly face it daily: doomscrolling. In fact, according to a study by Common Sense Media, students on average spend 5 hours on social media daily.
What starts as “just checking one notification” turns into losing entire hours to endless feeds, autoplay videos, and algorithms designed to keep us hooked. I kept telling myself I’d do better “next time,” but nothing changed. I tried deleting apps, hiding them, setting timers, none of it worked. And sometimes I actually needed the app for something important, like messaging a group project or coordinating with a club. Completely deleting it just wasn’t realistic.
That’s when I realized the problem isn’t the entire app, it’s the distracting features inside it. So instead of blocking the whole platform, why not block the parts designed to pull you in? That idea became the spark for Blockify, a tool built by students, for students, to help us reclaim our attention without disconnecting from the things we truly need.
What it does
Blockify helps students take back control of their screen time by blocking the most distracting features inside social media apps without blocking the apps themselves.
Instead of deleting Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, Blockify selectively hides the parts that cause doomscrolling: infinite feeds, autoplay videos and recommended content. Users can choose which features to disable, so they can still message friends, check group project updates, or access tools they need, but without getting sucked into hours of scrolling.
In short, Blockify keeps the useful parts of social media and filters out the addictive ones. It essentially turns your phone back into a tool.
How we built it
To brainstorm the app, we hopped on a Discord call, opened a shared whiteboard, and listed out the real problems students face. We noticed something surprising, even though there are tons of screen-time apps, none of them let you block specific distracting features inside apps. That gap convinced us that Blockify could have a real impact.
We built Blockify using Swift and Xcode. Since iOS doesn’t allow developers to directly modify or remove features inside other apps, we explored alternative solutions. The best approach was to load platforms like Instagram or YouTube inside a WKWebView within our app, which allowed us to selectively hide or modify distracting elements using custom logic.
For development responsibilities, we worked as a flexible team. When one of us got stuck on coding, the other jumped in. When one person had to focus on design, planning, or documentation, the other took over the technical side.
Challenges we ran into
One of our biggest challenges was making sure we could remove distracting features without completely breaking the feed or UI. Social media platforms are built with complex, dynamic layouts, so hiding one element often caused something else to glitch or disappear. We also ran into limitations with WKWebView, apps like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube rely heavily on JavaScript, and some parts simply didn’t behave the same inside a WebView as they do in their normal apps. And of course, all of this had to be done under hackathon time pressure. We were constantly balancing what we wanted to build with what we could realistically achieve in the short time we had.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud that we were able to take an idea that felt almost impossible on iOS and turn it into a real, working prototype. Despite Apple’s strict restrictions, we found a creative workaround using WKWebView that actually lets users browse apps like Instagram or YouTube without the most distracting features.
We’re also proud of how quickly we were able to build everything. In just a short hackathon window, we brainstormed the concept, designed the interface, wrote the code, and successfully blocked infinite feeds, autoplay, and other addictive elements, all while keeping the apps usable for messaging and school-related tasks.
Most of all, we’re proud that Blockify solves a problem we personally struggle with every day. It’s something that genuinely helps us and could help millions of students take back control of their time. On top of that, we started this project with very little Swift knowledge, and we learned a tremendous amount while building the app, which makes the accomplishment even more meaningful.
What we learned
Building Blockify taught us a lot about problem-solving, teamwork, and creative thinking. We learned how to work around iOS restrictions and use tools like WKWebView to modify web content inside an app.
On a personal level, we learned a ton of Swift. We started with very little experience, but by diving into the project, we picked up new programming concepts, debugging techniques, and best practices for app development. Beyond the technical skills, we learned how to communicate effectively as a team, split responsibilities dynamically, and adapt when unexpected challenges arose.
What's next for Blockify
The next major step for Blockify is giving users even stronger control over their screen time. We want to block the real native apps themselves, so users can’t just switch back to Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube the moment they feel tempted. Instead, they would be required to use our distraction‑free version inside Blockify.
To keep it realistic and not overly restrictive, we plan to introduce intent‑based bypass options, like typing out a short text challenge or waiting a timed delay before accessing the native app. This helps users stop impulsive scrolling while still allowing intentional use when needed.
Once we have a fully functioning prototype, we plan to publish Blockify on the App Store and reach a wider audience. We want to create Instagram and TikTok accounts for marketing, so more people can take back control of their screen time. We will keep the app free, and continually refine it by removing unnecessary features and adding support for more platforms. Our ultimate goal is to make Blockify a comprehensive tool that empowers students and anyone else to build healthier digital habits.
AI Tools Disclosure
We used ChatGPT to assist us in coding Blockify.
Team Members
Lalit Sreekar Batchu & Sahiti Tangirala
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