Take Control of Your Screen Time
At last, a digital driving instructor teaching and guiding towards self-regulation instead of acting like a prison warden style spyware app.
At last, a digital driving instructor teaching and guiding towards self-regulation instead of acting like a prison warden style spyware app.
The benefits that set us apart
Gentle reminders instead of harsh blocks. Stay in control with intelligent notifications that respect your autonomy. Escalates to delays, with blocks only applied as a last-resort or for danger categories.
Built on proven behavioral science principles. Nudging works better than blocking for lasting habit change. It allows autonomy and teaches responsibility.
Set category (and sub-category) limits, mutliple daily allowed periods, and restricted periods.
Comprehensive insights into screen time patterns. Understand usage by activity, category, and time of day.
Your usage data stays on your device. We don't collect or upload it to any cloud service.
Instead of arbitrary categories, Screen Goal categorises web pages and apps based on content. So, for example youtube.com isn't inherantly good or bad; it depends what you're watching!
Real behavioral transformation, not just restriction
Kids learn to monitor their own usage and make conscious choices. The gentle nudges teach them to pause and think rather than mindlessly consuming content.
No more battles over hard cut-offs. The flexible system respects kids' autonomy while maintaining healthy boundaries, leading to better parent-child relationships.
Category-specific limits help kids understand different types of screen time. Gaming, learning, and socializing can all have appropriate place in daily life.
By focusing on intrinsic motivation rather than external control, kids develop lasting habits that persist even when monitoring isn't in place.
Chores, and activity tracking, granting bonus digital time or access.
See how we're different
| Feature | Screen Goal | Traditional Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Warnings, gentle nudges & delays, last resort hard blocks | Sudden hard blocks only |
| Categorisation | Nuanced multi-level category heirarchy with AI content categorisation | Arbitrary simple categories by domain or app |
| Psychology | Behavioral science-based | Simple timer-based |
| Autonomy | Gracefully exit from disallowed activites | Sudden blocks, lost work, and frustration |
| Time Periods | Flexible multiple allowed & restricted periods | Simple schedules |
| Analytics | Detailed by hour, day, week; complete logs | Basic summaries |
| Family Conflict | Minimized | Often high |
Everything you need to manage screen time effectively
Most parental control apps use hard blocks that cut off access when time runs out. Screen Goal uses behavioral psychology and nudging — gentle reminders that let users stay in control while building awareness. This approach reduces conflict and builds lasting self-regulation skills.
Currently, Screen Goal is currently only available for Windows desktop. However, Android, iOS and MacOS versions are coming soon. The app includes both a user-facing desktop application and a background service that monitors activity.
No. The common trick of using a VPN to circumvent these apps doesn't work. Two apps running make it impossible to stop one without the other alerting you.
You can set different time limits for different categories of apps (like Social Media, Games, Work, Education). Within allowed time periods, you can control how much time is spent in each category (and sub-category).
Allowed periods are times when screen use is generally permitted (subject to category limits). Restricted periods are times when you want tighter control — like homework time or bedtime. During restricted periods, you can configure stricter category limits.
Absolutely. Screen Goal stores all activity data locally on your computer. We don't collect or upload your usage patterns to any cloud service. Your screen time data stays on your device where it belongs.
Screen Goal will be free for a limited time. After that, you can choose between a monthly or yearly subscription.
Absolutely! The free tier lets you experience the core functionality. You can upgrade to premium at any time if you need advanced features. No credit card required for the free version.
We believe that healthy screen habits ideally come from awareness and choice, not from forceful restrictions. Traditional screen time tools use sudden blocks and hard limits that feel punitive and create frustration. This approach often backfires, leading to sneaking, resentment, and ultimately, failure to develop self-regulation.
Screen Goal takes a different approach, inspired by behavioral psychology and nudge theory. Instead of just blocking access when limits are reached, we use gentle reminders and delays that make you pause and reflect. You stay in control — you can always choose to continue — but you're making that choice consciously, not automatically. Over time, this builds real self-awareness and intrinsic motivation to manage screen time effectively.
If you ignore nudges and reminders, they gradually become more intrusive (time delays increase, notifications become more frequent). This escalation encourages reflection without ever feeling like a hard block. The goal is to help you develop lasting habits that persist even when the app isn't running. Ultimately, you have the option to configure a hard block only after repeated nudges.
Apply for early access
Get free tips, updates, and exclusive content on building better screen habits