You set a 30-minute limit on Instagram. It pops up, you tap Ignore Limit, and the limit is gone for the day. If that's you, Screen Time isn't broken: it was designed as a reminder, not a lock.
The common reasons limits "don't work"
1. Ignore Limit is one tap away
Without a Screen Time passcode, every limit offers One More Minute, Remind Me in 15 Minutes or Ignore Limit For Today. Tired-you will always pick one.
2. No Screen Time passcode
Set one in Settings → Screen Time → Lock Screen Time Settings. If you set it yourself you'll know it, so it only adds a few seconds of friction.
3. The limit counts across devices
With Share Across Devices on, iPad and Mac time counts too, so limits can feel random. Toggle it in Settings → Screen Time.
4. The app is in Always Allowed
Apps in Screen Time → Always Allowed skip Downtime entirely. Check it's not there.
5. Web versions
Limit the app and people switch to instagram.com in Safari. Add the website under Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content → Web Content, or block Safari during focus time.
What works better: schedules and sessions
A daily allowance has to be enforced at your weakest moment. A schedule decides in advance: the apps are simply closed from 9 to 5, or after 22:30.
ARCO is built around that:
- Blocked Hours close the apps you choose at set times, on the days you choose.
- Focus sessions keep them closed until the timer ends; Strict mode can't be ended early.
- Breaks are short and counted, then the block comes back by itself.
It uses the same Apple Screen Time framework, so it's reliable, and your usage data stays on your iPhone. More: block Instagram and TikTok without deleting them.