Guides to using social media without the addictive parts
Short answer: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X don't let you switch off short-form video completely. Each guide below shows what the platform's own settings can do, where they stop, and how StillTabs removes the rest for free on iPhone.
- Can you turn off Instagram Reels?
Instagram has no setting to turn off Reels. Here is what its own settings can do, and how to use Instagram on iPhone without Reels or Explore while keeping your DMs. - Can you turn off YouTube Shorts?
YouTube's Shorts feed limit can be set to zero, but it is easy to dismiss and Shorts still show up elsewhere. Here is what it does, and how to remove Shorts everywhere on iPhone. - How to block Reels and Shorts on iPhone, for free
Step by step: remove Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and the Facebook Reels tab on iPhone without deleting the apps or paying for a subscription. - How to use Instagram only for messages
Use Instagram for DMs and friends without the feed, Reels or Explore. Instagram has no DM-only mode; StillTabs' Blackout mode gives you one, for free. - How to remove Reels from Facebook
Facebook has no setting to turn off Reels. Hiding or "show less" only changes ranking. Here is what Facebook lets you do, and how StillTabs hides the Reels tab on iPhone (beta), keeping friends, groups and messages. - How to get rid of the "For you" tab on X
X has no setting to remove "For you" or make Following the default. Here is how to use X on iPhone with just Following, search and the news. - Is there a way to turn off short-form video?
Instagram, YouTube and Facebook have no full off switch for Reels and Shorts. Here is what each platform allows, and how to turn off short-form video on all of them on iPhone. - How to stop doomscrolling without deleting your apps
You don't need to delete Instagram or set another limit. Remove the parts built to keep you scrolling (Reels, Shorts, endless feeds, autoplay) and keep the rest. - Short-form video by the numbers
Key statistics on Reels, Shorts and teens' social media use from Pew, YouTube and Meta, plus how StillTabs filters short-form video across five platforms. - How to limit Reels and Shorts for a teenager
What Instagram Teen Accounts and YouTube's supervised Shorts timer actually do, and how a teen can use Instagram and YouTube without Reels or Shorts on iPhone. - How to stop YouTube autoplay on iPhone
Turn off YouTube's autoplay-next and the previews that play in your feed, using YouTube's own settings, and remove Shorts and the endless homepage with StillTabs. - Can you turn off Instagram Explore?
Instagram has no setting to turn off Explore; you can only reset it, and suggested posts can be snoozed for 30 days. Here is how to use Instagram on iPhone without Explore for good. - How to turn off Reddit recommendations and autoplay
Reddit lets you turn off home-feed recommendations and autoplay in its settings. Here are the exact steps, and how StillTabs also removes the "open in app" prompts on iPhone. - Is there a free app to block Reels and Shorts?
Yes: StillTabs is free with no in-app purchases and removes Reels and Shorts while keeping DMs. Most other "free" blockers are free to download and then sell a subscription. - 9 checks before you trust a Reels blocker or screen-time app
How to read an App Store listing, privacy label, terms and website before you install a Reels blocker or screen-time app: the red flags to look for, with real examples, and how StillTabs answers each one. - Is StillTabs safe?
StillTabs is a free App Store app with no tracking label, no account and no server between you and Instagram or YouTube. Here is exactly what it can see, what it never sees, and who makes it. - How to see only people you follow on Instagram
Instagram's Following feed shows only accounts you follow, in chronological order, but you have to choose it each time. Here is how to open it, and how to make Instagram always open on it. - How to make YouTube show only your subscriptions
YouTube has no setting to open on your subscriptions. Turning off watch history empties the homepage; StillTabs opens YouTube straight on your subscriptions and removes Shorts. - Several Instagram or YouTube accounts, without Reels or Shorts
StillTabs keeps up to five accounts per platform signed in separately, each without Reels, Shorts or Explore. Free on iPhone, no StillTabs account needed. - An Instagram icon on your Home Screen that opens without Reels
StillTabs adds Home Screen icons named Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Reddit. Tap one and the platform opens straight inside StillTabs, signed in, without Reels or Shorts. Free, no Shortcuts automations, no Screen Time locks. - Does StillTabs feel like the real Instagram app?
StillTabs draws Instagram's toolbar natively, keeps every tab loaded so switching is instant, plays stories full-screen and uses edge swipes instead of floating buttons. Here is how it compares with the Instagram app and with other Reels blockers. - What's wrong with Reels blocker apps, and how to spot a good one
Weekly subscriptions, tracking labels, copycat names and search results full of self-serving comparisons: what is going wrong with Reels blockers in 2026, and five checks to find a good one. - Free app to use Instagram only for DMs on iPhone (2026)
Want Instagram for messages only, with no Reels? StillTabs Blackout mode and minulo do it free on iPhone; Konvo needs a subscription. Screen Time cannot do it. - How to use YouTube without Shorts on iPhone
YouTube has no off switch for Shorts. What the Shorts feed limit and "Show fewer Shorts" do, and free apps and Safari extensions that remove Shorts on iPhone.
StillTabs is free on the App Store, for iPhone. No subscription, no in-app purchases, no account. iOS 16 or later.