COO, Unrotten

Maren Ashby

Maren Ashby is the COO of Unrotten, the iPhone app that helps people take their attention back from the feed. She writes about the research on phones, sleep and focus, and about the small, practical changes that make a phone easier to put down.

Articles by Maren Ashby

Late at night in a dark kitchen lit by one warm under-cabinet light, a man in a grey hoodie sits at the table looking at his phone, its glow on his face, a bowl of cereal untouched in front of him.

Explainer · 8 min read

Infinite Scroll: Why Your Feed Never Ends, and How to Give It One

What infinite scroll is, who invented it, and why a feed with no last page is so hard to leave, with ways to add one back.

November 2, 2026

At a sunny cafe table by a window, a young woman with auburn hair half stands to photograph her latte and croissant with her phone, while her friend, chin on her hand, gazes out of the window.

Explainer · 7 min read

Instagram Addiction: Why Reels and Likes Keep You Scrolling

Likes, vanishing Stories and an endless Reels tab make Instagram hard to close. Why it hooks you, and how to cut back and keep your people.

November 2, 2026

At dusk in a small bedroom strung with fairy lights, a woman in her mid twenties lies on her stomach across the bed with earbuds in, smiling at the phone she holds close, a laptop and notebook pushed aside behind her.

Explainer · 8 min read

TikTok Addiction: Why It's So Hard to Stop, and How to Cut Back

TikTok addiction is a real pattern, not just a punchline: why the For You feed is so hard to leave, and what helps you cut back.

November 2, 2026

In a bright, uncluttered apartment, a bearded man in a cream knit sweater writes by hand in a notebook at an oak desk, beside a mug of coffee, a small plant and his phone lying face down.

Explainer · 7 min read

Digital Minimalism: Cal Newport's Method, and How to Start

Not a detox you recover from, but a way of choosing the few tools that serve what you value. The 30-day declutter, the research and where to begin.

November 1, 2026

In a lamp-lit living room at night, a woman with curly dark hair sits on a sofa under a knitted blanket, holding a mug of tea, her other hand resting on the phone that lies face down beside her.

Explainer · 7 min read

Dopamine Addiction: Can You Really Be Addicted to Dopamine?

Nobody is hooked on a molecule. What the phrase gets right about phones and feeds, what it gets wrong, and what actually loosens the pull.

November 1, 2026

On a sunny Sunday morning, a woman with a dark bob in a white T-shirt sits cross-legged on a sofa, holding her phone in both hands with her eyebrows raised in surprise.

Explainer · 6 min read

How to See Screen Time on iPhone, and What the Numbers Mean

Where to find your daily average, pickups and notifications on iOS 27 and iOS 26, why the number surprises almost everyone, and what to do with it.

November 1, 2026

At a wooden desk in a bright home office, a young woman with her dark hair tied back writes by hand in a notebook, a closed laptop beside her and her phone face down on a bookshelf behind her.

Explainer · 6 min read

How to Focus Better When Your Phone Won't Let You

Why you can't focus, and a routine for one hour of real work: where the phone goes, which alerts to mute, when to break and what to do with the urge to check.

October 31, 2026

On a wooden park bench strewn with autumn leaves, a bearded man in a navy coat and grey scarf reads a thick paperback, absorbed, in low golden sunlight.

Explainer · 7 min read

How to Improve Your Attention Span: What Actually Trains It

Brain games mostly make you better at brain games. What the trials say does carry over, how much of it you need and how to tell it's working.

October 31, 2026

At a cafe table, a young woman with red hair in a bun and a denim jacket frowns and reaches for her jeans pocket, while her phone lies face down on the table in front of her.

Explainer · 6 min read

Phantom Vibration Syndrome: Why You Feel Your Phone Buzz

Most phone users have felt a buzz that never came. What causes phantom vibrations, who gets them most, and the small changes that make them stop.

October 31, 2026

On a sunlit commuter train, a man in his forties with a grey beard and a charcoal coat sits by the window with his eyes closed, taking a slow breath, his phone resting dark in his hand.

Comparison · 9 min read

one sec App Review: Does a Breath Before Your Apps Work?

How one sec's pause works, what the free version and Pro include, what its own studies found, and who needs something firmer.

October 30, 2026

At a wooden kitchen table with an open book, a cup of tea and a laptop, a woman with auburn hair rests her chin on her hand and gazes toward the window, her phone in her other hand.

Explainer · 7 min read

Short Attention Span: Why It Happens and What Helps

Why you reread the same paragraph three times, the everyday habits that shorten your focus, and what to change first.

October 30, 2026

In a sunny living room, a woman in a denim shirt kneels on a woven rug laughing as she plays tug with a scruffy terrier, her laptop closed and her phone face down on the coffee table behind her.

Roundup · 11 min read

The Best Social Media Blocker Apps for iPhone in 2026

Eight ways to lock Instagram, TikTok and the rest, compared on price, how firmly they hold and whether they cover your laptop too.

October 30, 2026

In a sunlit library, a young woman with curly red hair writes in a notebook beside an open textbook, her phone face down on the table next to a small succulent.

Comparison · 10 min read

Forest App Review: Does Growing a Tree Keep You Off Your Phone?

How Forest's focus timer, Deep Focus and Time Guard work, what's free, what Forest Plus adds, and what the research says about the tree.

October 29, 2026

In a sunny bedroom, a woman in striped pajamas stretches on the edge of her bed while her phone lies face down on the nightstand.

Comparison · 10 min read

Opal Screen Time App Review: Is Opal Free, and Is It Worth It?

What Opal's free plan includes, what Pro costs, how strict its blocks really get, and when another app is the better choice.

October 29, 2026

On a sunny autumn afternoon in a park, a young woman in a denim jacket sits on a bench with her eyes closed, taking a slow breath, her phone face down under her hand.

Comparison · 9 min read

ScreenZen Review: How the Free Screen Time App Works

How ScreenZen's wait before an app opens works, what its strict blocks and locks add, what Halo costs, and who should choose something else.

October 29, 2026

On a lamp-lit restaurant terrace, four friends laugh at a story one woman is telling with her hands, their phones stacked face down in the middle of the table.

Comparison · 8 min read

BePresent App Review: Can a Game Cut Your Screen Time?

How BePresent's streaks, money stakes, leaderboards and rewards work, what it costs, and what the research says about each of them.

October 28, 2026

At a desk by a bright window, a woman with short grey-streaked hair and glasses types on a laptop, her phone lying dark at the far corner of the desk.

Comparison · 8 min read

BlockSite Review: Does It Work on iPhone?

What BlockSite blocks on your iPhone and in your browser, what it costs, how firm its blocks are, and which alternatives fit better.

October 28, 2026

In a sunny apartment hallway, a man in a grey hoodie and running shorts sets his phone down on a wooden shelf by the front door before heading out.

Comparison · 9 min read

Brick App Review: Is the $59 Phone Blocker Worth It?

How Brick locks your apps with a tap, what Brick Night adds, where it falls short, and who should choose an app or a lock box instead.

October 28, 2026

In a sunlit kitchen, a woman in a cream sweater smiles as she slides a drawer shut on her phone, which lies on a folded tea towel inside.

Explainer · 9 min read

Dopamine Nation Summary: Anna Lembke's Lessons for Your Phone

The pleasure-pain balance, the 30-day dopamine fast and self-binding in plain words, what the research says about each, and how to use them on your phone.

October 27, 2026

In a lamplit living room at dusk, a bearded man in a rust sweater plays an acoustic guitar on the sofa, his phone face down on the coffee table.

Explainer · 7 min read

How to Stop Phone Addiction: A 30-Day Plan, Week by Week

Four weeks, one change at a time: see the habit, quiet the phone, cut an hour, fill the gap and lock it in, with the research behind each step.

October 27, 2026

On a rainy evening, a woman with dark curly hair sits at a cafe window holding her phone, looking out at the blurred lights of the street with a pensive expression.

Guide · 7 min read

Is Social Media Bad for Your Mental Health? What the Research Says

Small on average, real for some: what the biggest studies find, why it hits some people harder, and how to tell what your feeds are doing to you.

October 27, 2026

A young couple sit side by side on a weathered wooden dock at a lake in the late afternoon, laughing over metal cups of tea, bare feet dangling above the water, with no phones in sight.

Explainer · 7 min read

Digital Detox: What It Is, What It Does, and How to Do One

Why a break from the whole phone seems to do more than quitting one app, what the first days feel like, and a plan that leaves you with better habits.

October 26, 2026

Seen over his shoulder, a young man sits on an unmade bed in soft morning light, holding a smartphone whose screen shows only a plain grey glow.

Explainer · 7 min read

How to Turn Your Smartphone Into a Dumb Phone, Step by Step

Keep calls, maps, your bank and your camera, and lose the feed: the iPhone settings that make a phone boring, and what the research says they do.

October 26, 2026

A woman in a camel coat sits on the stone steps of a brownstone on an autumn afternoon, laughing as she talks on a small black phone, with fallen leaves and a canvas tote beside her.

Roundup · 10 min read

The Best Dumb Phones in 2026, and the Case for a Boring iPhone

The Light Phone III, Mudita Kompakt, Sunbeam F1 Pro and Wisephone II compared on price, carriers and what they keep, and when to keep your iPhone instead.

October 26, 2026

At a city bus shelter at dusk, three adults of different ages look down at the phones in their hands while an older man in a tweed cap at the end of the bench looks out at the street.

Explainer · 7 min read

Average Screen Time for Adults: The 2026 Numbers, by Age

How long adults really spend on phones, TV and feeds, from phone logs, national surveys and global data, and how to read your own number.

October 25, 2026

At a backyard barbecue in the evening, a man in a denim shirt stands apart by the fence looking down at his phone while his friends laugh around the grill and a table under string lights behind him.

Explainer · 7 min read

How Much Screen Time Is Too Much for Adults?

There's no official limit for grown-ups. The research points somewhere more useful: what your hours replace, how they leave you and whether you can stop.

October 25, 2026

In a dim living room in the evening, a restless young man in a grey hoodie sits on a sofa with a laptop on his knees and a bowl of popcorn beside him, looking at the phone in his hand while a television glows behind him.

Explainer · 7 min read

Popcorn Brain: What It Is and How to Calm a Restless Mind

A researcher's name for a mind so used to the fast pop of screens that everything else feels slow, what the studies say about it, and how to settle it.

October 25, 2026

In a bright living room on a Sunday morning, a man in a blue t-shirt sits on the arm of a sofa and looks at his phone with raised eyebrows and a half-guilty smile, a mug of coffee on the table beside him.

Comparison · 11 min read

Apple Screen Time vs a Screen Time App: Which One Do You Need?

What Apple's built-in Screen Time does well, where it gives way on a tired evening, and what a third-party app adds on top of it.

October 24, 2026

On an autumn afternoon, a young woman in a mustard sweater sits on a park bench under bright orange and red trees, looking up at them with a half smile, her phone resting in her lap with its screen dark.

Explainer · 6 min read

Grayscale iPhone: How to Turn It On, and Does It Really Work?

A few taps turn your screen black and white, a triple click brings the color back, and the studies show what it does, and doesn't do, to your screen time.

October 24, 2026

A woman lies on a picnic blanket in a sunny park with her eyes closed and a contented smile, a closed book, a green apple and a water bottle beside her, and no phone in sight.

Explainer · 8 min read

Social Media Detox: How to Do One, and What the Trials Found

How long to go, what the first days feel like, what tends to change, and how to come back without sliding straight back into the feed.

October 24, 2026

A woman in a grey bathrobe stands at a kitchen counter in the early morning, frowning at the phone in her hand while her coffee and toast sit untouched.

Guide · 7 min read

Doomscrolling: Why Your Brain Can't Stop, and What It Does to You

Why bad news keeps your thumb moving long after it stops helping, what the habit does to your mood and sleep, and how to stay informed without the spiral.

October 23, 2026

A woman in a camel coat stands by her front door with her keys in one hand, patting her coat pocket with a worried look.

Explainer · 7 min read

Nomophobia: The Fear of Being Without Your Phone

What the word means, how researchers measure it, why a dead battery can feel like an emergency, and how to loosen the grip without losing touch.

October 23, 2026

A woman sits cross-legged on a sofa in a sunny living room, looking thoughtfully at the phone in her hand, with a mug of coffee on the table beside her.

Roundup · 11 min read

The Best Opal Alternatives for iPhone in 2026, Compared

Eight apps to try instead of Opal, whether you want a lower price, a free plan, a gentler pause, a physical lock or a coach.

October 23, 2026

In a library reading room, a young man sits at a wooden table with a thick book open in front of him while he looks down at the phone in his hand.

Guide · 7 min read

Attention Span: Is It Really Shrinking? What the Research Says

Forget the goldfish. What researchers actually measure, what your phone does to your focus, and the changes that bring it back.

October 22, 2026

At a kitchen table in the morning, a man in a navy sweater holds his phone in both hands with a focused look, beside a mug of coffee and an open notebook.

Explainer · 8 min read

How to Lock Apps on iPhone (and Make the Lock Actually Hold)

Face ID locks keep other people out, and Screen Time limits keep you out. How to set up both on iOS 26 and iOS 27, and how to make a limit hold.

October 22, 2026

In a dim living room in the evening, a young woman lies on a sofa holding her phone above her face, a half-eaten bowl of pasta forgotten on the coffee table.

Guide · 6 min read

Social Media Addiction: Why Feeds Hook You and How to Break Free

Not an official diagnosis, but a pattern researchers can measure: the signs, why social apps are so hard to put down, and what the trials say helps.

October 22, 2026

A young woman sits cross-legged on a living room rug fitting pieces into a mountain jigsaw puzzle, a cup of tea beside her and her phone face down at the far edge of the rug.

Explainer · 9 min read

Dopamine Menu: How to Make One, With 50 Ideas That Beat Scrolling

A short list of better things to reach for when the urge to scroll hits: how to build yours, a template, 50 ideas and the research behind it.

October 21, 2026

A young man in a sunny kitchen holds a bitten slice of toast in one hand and looks at the phone in his other hand while a kettle steams behind him.

Guide · 8 min read

Phone Addiction: The Signs, the Causes and How to Break It

Is it a real addiction? What researchers say, the signs to look for in your own habits, and the changes that loosen the phone's grip.

October 21, 2026

A phone lies face down on a wooden table beside a mug of coffee and a brass hourglass, while a woman in a knit sweater reads in an armchair behind it.

Roundup · 11 min read

The Best Screen Time Apps for iPhone in 2026, Compared

Ten apps that help you see, limit and actually cut your screen time, compared on price, how they work and what keeps you using them.

October 21, 2026

A man sits on a sunlit wooden floor against the wall, reading a paperback, his phone left on the floor beside a mug.

Guide · 8 min read

Dopamine Detox: Does It Work? What the Science Says, and a 7-Day Plan That Does

You can't flush dopamine, and you don't need to. What the research supports instead, with a 7-day plan to make it stick.

October 20, 2026

A young woman lies on a sofa under a knitted blanket late at night, her face lit by the phone she is scrolling.

Guide · 8 min read

How to Stop Doomscrolling: What the Studies Say Works

Doomscrolling is not a willpower problem. These are the changes that cut scrolling in real studies, and how to make them stick.

October 20, 2026

A woman lies in bed in a dark bedroom, lit blue by the phone she holds above her face.

Guide · 8 min read

Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: Why You Scroll at Night

Why the last hour of the night feels like the only time that is yours, what it costs your sleep, and how to claim it back earlier.

October 20, 2026

A woman at a wooden desk sets her phone face down beside an open notebook, a laptop and a cup of coffee.

Roundup · 12 min read

The Best App Blockers for iPhone in 2026, Compared

Ten ways to lock the apps that eat your day, compared on price, how they block and how easy they are to get around.

October 20, 2026

Two phones stand in a clear plastic box with a kitchen timer dial on a counter, while a family eats dinner behind it.

Roundup · 11 min read

The Best Phone Lock Boxes in 2026 (Timed Boxes, Pouches and the App Alternative)

Timed boxes, locking pouches and NFC keys compared, and the app that locks only the apps that eat your day.

October 20, 2026