How to Block 9GAG on iPhone
Set a Screen Time App Limit on 9GAG, then block 9gag.com in Safari. No companion app, no social cost — it's one of the few apps worth blocking outright.
Blocking 9GAG on iPhone means setting a Screen Time App Limit under Entertainment, then closing the one gap that limit leaves open: the 9gag.com website in Safari. Screen Time is Apple's built-in usage-management framework, and it enforces the block — not 9GAG, not any third-party app. What makes this one different from most entries on this list is what it doesn't cost you: there's no companion app tied to a shared account, no group chat waiting on a reply, no work tool underneath the feed. 9GAG is a meme feed and nothing else, which means blocking it outright carries essentially no trade-off.
How do you set a Screen Time limit on 9GAG?
- Open Settings → Screen Time → App Limits.
- Tap Add Limit, then choose Entertainment (9GAG sits in this category) or search for 9GAG directly and select just that app.
- Set a time — for an app with no real use case, many people set 1 minute or skip the allowance entirely and lean on Downtime instead.
- Choose the days it applies.
- Tap Add.
If you haven't already, set a Screen Time passcode under Screen Time → Lock Screen Time Settings, separate from your device passcode. Without one, you can delete the limit the moment it becomes inconvenient, which defeats the point.
Why does the 9GAG limit stop working after a few days?
When the limit is reached, iOS shows a screen with an Ignore Limit button offering one more minute, 15 more minutes, or the rest of the day. Tap it, enter the Screen Time passcode if one is set, and the block disappears for that period. Every App Limit resets to zero at midnight, regardless of how much you used.
9GAG's front page makes that reset almost irrelevant to the habit itself, because there's no natural stopping point built into it at all — no "you're caught up" marker, no end of a session, just the next ranked post loading the instant you finish the last one. A limit that cuts you off mid-scroll doesn't resolve anything; the same endless feed is still there, unchanged, the next time the limit resets.
Does blocking the 9GAG app also block 9gag.com?
No. An App Limit only recognizes the 9GAG app icon — it has no effect on 9gag.com opened in Safari, which serves the identical ranked feed and comment sections with no app required. This is 9GAG's only real leak: the website isn't a stripped-down mirror or a login wall, it's the same content, sorted the same way.
To close this, go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions → Web Content, choose Limit Adult Websites, then add 9gag.com under the "Never Allow" list. This blocks the domain in Safari specifically — it won't touch an alternative browser you might install, so check that none is on the phone, or apply the same restriction there.
What survives the block — and why does 9GAG pull you back in anyway?
Nothing does, structurally. 9GAG has no companion app the way Instagram has Threads or TikTok has CapCut — there's no sibling product tied to the same account, no cross-posted content living somewhere else. Once the app is limited and 9gag.com is blocked, the feed is gone.
That makes the pull worth naming honestly rather than blaming a hidden second app: it's the front page itself. 9GAG ranks posts by upvotes across a large, constantly refreshed pool, so there's no bottom, no "seen it all" state, and no personalization algorithm to point to — just a community-curated ranking that never runs out of new entries. Comment sections add a second loop underneath the images, turning a five-second glance into a scroll through replies with their own upvote counts.
What's the most realistic way to actually block 9GAG?
| Approach | What it does | Honest verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Time App Limit on 9GAG | Blocks the app icon after the set time | Doesn't touch 9gag.com; easy to override with Ignore Limit |
| Downtime schedule | Blocks 9GAG (and most apps) during set hours | Good for "no memes after 10pm"; useless against daytime scrolling |
| Deleting the app | Removes the icon and app entirely | 9gag.com in Safari still works, and reinstalling takes seconds |
| Blocking 9gag.com in Content Restrictions | Closes the Safari loophole | Necessary alongside an App Limit — this is the app's only leak, so it's a small, complete fix |
| Conditional unlock (e.g., Step N Scroll) | Keeps 9GAG locked until a daily step goal, set via Apple Health, is met | Adds a real cost to unlocking beyond a passcode tap; doesn't suit people who want a free tool, can't walk much, or use Android — there's no Android version |
Given how little 9GAG actually does for most readers, blocking it entirely — App Limit plus the one domain — is usually enough on its own. For blocking more than one distracting app at once, say 9GAG alongside something like TikTok, the same steps apply per app, and the full list of app guides covers the specifics for each one.
What can't a Screen Time block fix?
No setting on this list makes 9GAG physically impossible to open — you can always change Content & Privacy Restrictions, delete the blocking app, or let a Screen Time passcode lapse once it becomes inconvenient. Screen Time raises friction; it doesn't remove your ability to override it, and it can't tell the difference between a genuine two-minute break and an hour lost to the same ranked feed — it only knows the app was open.
Unlike apps with a real audience on the other end — messaging, dating, work tools — there's no one 9GAG will notify if you disappear from it for good, and no relationship or obligation it interrupts. If checking it still feels compulsive even after the app and the domain are both blocked, that points to the underlying habit of reaching for the phone rather than to 9GAG specifically, and the guide on why you can't stop scrolling covers that pattern directly. For scrolling that mostly happens once the lights are off, stopping the scroll in bed is the more specific starting point.
FAQ
Does blocking the 9GAG app also block 9gag.com in Safari?
No. An App Limit only recognizes the 9GAG app icon — it has no effect on 9gag.com opened in Safari, which serves the same ranked feed and comment sections with no app required. Block the domain separately under Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions → Web Content.
What happens when I tap "Ignore Limit" on 9GAG?
iOS unlocks 9GAG for one more minute, 15 more minutes, or the rest of the day, depending on what you choose. If you've set a Screen Time passcode, it asks for that code first — which is the main thing that makes the button harder to tap without thinking.
Does 9GAG have a companion app I need to block separately?
No. Unlike Instagram with Threads or TikTok with CapCut, 9GAG has no sibling app tied to the same account. The only leak is the website — 9gag.com carries the identical feed — so an App Limit plus that one domain covers it completely.
Does deleting the 9GAG app delete my account, points, or saved posts?
No. Deleting the app only removes it from your phone. Your account, points, and saved posts stay on 9GAG's servers and reappear as soon as you reinstall and log back in.
Is there any real reason to keep 9GAG instead of just blocking it outright?
Rarely. 9GAG has no work use, no messaging tied to real relationships, and no ongoing obligation to other people the way a group chat or a shared game does. Unless you follow it for a specific hobby community, there's little downside to blocking it entirely rather than negotiating a daily allowance.
Can an app like Step N Scroll see that I'm specifically blocking 9GAG?
No. Apple's Family Controls framework gives third-party apps opaque tokens representing blocked apps, not the app's actual identity. Developers in this category cannot see that you're specifically blocking 9GAG.
Sources
- Apple Support — "Set up Screen Time for yourself on iPhone"
- Apple Support — "Set content and privacy restrictions on iPhone"
- Sleep Foundation — "Screens and Sleep: The Impact of Nighttime Use"
- Common Sense Media — "Screen Time Tools: Do They Work?"
Step N Scroll is a habit and screen-time tool, not a medical device. Nothing here is medical advice.