One Sec
The most recommended of 7 website blockers
People recommend One Sec as an effective way to cut back on Instagram and other social media by pausing before opening apps. Some critics say the habit change faded after a month or so.
10 people recommended One Sec in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
7 of the 10 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “I made my phone slow on purpose”.
Summary written by Claude from 12 comments.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- mixed feelings
- 1
- warn against or regret it
- 1
The record
Recommended in 3 of 12 months
In 4 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 10 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 4 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- 7 of its 10 recommenders came from one threadNeeds half or less, not met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 12 of the 12 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Effective at cutting social media use
“Really helped curb my Instagram usage down from about ~15 minutes per day”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “I made my phone slow on purpose” “It’s extremely effective and I highly recommend it.”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “I made my phone slow on purpose” “Plugging the thing that finally got me off IG.”
Comment from 11 Sep 2026 in “Instagram's head says engagement falls by half without the algorithm” Favorite among screen time apps
“Huge fan of One Sec - I think I've tried every screen time reducing app out there and it is my favorite.”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “I made my phone slow on purpose” “There is a great habit-breaking app called “One Sec.”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “I made my phone slow on purpose”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Habit returns to normal after a month
“One sec broke my habit for a month or so but then it got back to “normal”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “I made my phone slow on purpose”
Other website blockers people recommend
The four most recommended other website blockers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One SecThis page | 10 | 1 | 1 | 91% | 3 | — | — |
| ScreenZen | 9 | 1 | 1 | 90% | 6 | — | — |
| LeechBlock NG | 7 | 0 | 1 | 88% | 6 | — | — |
| UnTrap for YouTube | 7 | 1 | 2 | 78% | 5 | — | — |
| SelfControl | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
All 12 opinions about it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Plugging the thing that finally got me off IG.”
“Made me realize how unimportant Instagram was for me.”
“There is a great habit-breaking app called “One Sec.”
“Huge fan of One Sec - I think I've tried every screen time reducing app out there and it is my favorite.”
“Really helped curb my Instagram usage down from about ~15 minutes per day”
“One sec broke my habit for a month or so but then it got back to “normal”
“they only collect a bit of telemetry, no insane tracking”
“After years of fiddling with OneSec and others this really has been the only solution that has worked”
“Wow, that is a fantastic idea.”
“It’s extremely effective and I highly recommend it.”
“tools like one sec [1] have been invaluable for me”
“it immediately gets blocked by a heroic looking polar bear saying "No shorts for you!”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.