Many smartphone interfaces use attention-grabbing features such as notifications, colorful badges, vivid icons, and continuously updated feeds.
One simple strategy is to switch the display to grayscale.
By removing most colors, grayscale mode may make social-media feeds, games, and other visually designed apps feel less appealing or less rewarding.
For some people, this creates a small amount of friction between the urge to check the phone and the decision to continue using it.
However, grayscale mode should not be described as a cure for “screen-time addiction.”
Researchers more often use terms such as problematic smartphone use to describe difficulty controlling phone use that causes problems in daily life.
Screen time alone does not establish an addiction, because people may use their phones frequently for work, education, communication, navigation, or accessibility.
Problematic smartphone use is also not currently recognized as a formal diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR or ICD-11.
What the Research Shows
Several behavioral studies suggest that grayscale mode can produce a modest short-term reduction in smartphone use.
The studies available so far have generally been brief, and several have involved students or young adults.
More recent research has broadened the evidence base, but it still does not establish how much, if at all, screen time will fall for an individual user.
- About 38 fewer minutes in one study
- A 2020 study of 161 undergraduate students, including 73 who used grayscale, found that the grayscale group had approximately 38 fewer minutes of smartphone screen time per day during the study period.
- The study also reported reductions in social-media and internet-browsing time, although the effect differed by type of activity.
- This result should not be treated as a guaranteed reduction for the general public.
- About 28 fewer minutes in a 2026 feasibility study
- A 2026 crossover feasibility study enrolled 61 first-year medical students, with 51 completing both study phases.
- Grayscale use was associated with approximately 28 fewer minutes of daily smartphone screen time compared with the color-display condition.
- Because the study was short and involved a specific student group, larger and longer studies are still needed.
- About 20 fewer minutes, but not fewer unlocks
- A 2024 study involving 84 smartphone users found that grayscale reduced daily screen time by about 20 minutes, but the number of daily phone unlocks did not significantly change.
- This suggests that grayscale may shorten some periods of use without eliminating the habit of checking the phone.
- Less screen time does not necessarily mean the same effect for everyone
- A 2025 experimental study also examined grayscale in situations involving phone-related distraction while driving and walking.
- Its findings provide additional evidence that changing the visual appearance of a phone may influence phone-related behavior, but they do not establish a universal effect for all users or all situations.
- Personal responses vary
- Some users say that grayscale makes scrolling less enjoyable, while others find it annoying or simply switch the color back on.
- A personal experiment reported by Healthline can illustrate one person’s experience, but it is not equivalent to a controlled scientific study.
Researchers have proposed that color removal may reduce visual salience and the immediate appeal of some apps.
That explanation is plausible, but the studies cited here do not prove that grayscale directly lowers dopamine or changes the brain’s reward pathways in a specific way.
It is more accurate to describe grayscale as a behavioral “speed bump” than as a neurochemical treatment.
How to Try Grayscale Mode
- Choose a trial period : Try grayscale for one or two weeks rather than assuming it will work permanently.
- Record your baseline : Check your usual daily screen time and, if available, the number of phone pickups or unlocks before starting.
- Activate grayscale : Most smartphones include a color-filter or accessibility setting that can switch the display to grayscale. The exact steps vary by device.
- Notice what changes : Pay attention to total screen time, social-media use, browsing time, and whether sessions become shorter. Do not rely only on how the phone feels.
- Keep useful color when necessary : Grayscale can make maps, charts, photographs, health information, alerts, and color-coded content harder to interpret. Turn it off temporarily when color is important.
- Combine it with other boundaries : Consider disabling nonessential notifications, removing high-distraction apps from the home screen, using app limits, keeping the phone away during meals, and avoiding it in the bedroom.
What Grayscale Can - and Cannot - Do
Grayscale mode is inexpensive, reversible, and easy to test.
It may reduce the appeal or duration of some phone sessions, particularly browsing and social-media use.
It is unlikely to solve problematic smartphone use on its own, especially when phone use is driven by stress, loneliness, boredom, work demands, or an established habit.
Research on interventions for problematic smartphone use more broadly is still developing.
A 2026 systematic review covering 46 peer-reviewed studies and 18,122 participants identified continuing gaps in the effectiveness and generalizability of these interventions.
This broader evidence supports caution about assuming that one simple strategy will work consistently for everyone.
If phone use is interfering with sleep, work, relationships, studying, driving, or emotional well-being, consider addressing the underlying problem as well as changing the display.
A healthcare professional or mental-health provider may be appropriate when attempts to reduce use repeatedly fail or when significant distress or impairment is present.
Bottom line : Grayscale mode is a reasonable low-cost experiment. Short-term studies have reported reductions in smartphone screen time ranging from about 20 to 38 minutes per day, while a 2026 feasibility study found a reduction of about 28 minutes per day. These findings do not establish a universal 20-to-40-minute effect, and they should not be presented as a guaranteed treatment for problematic smartphone use or addiction.
References
- Holte, A. J., & Ferraro, F. R. (2020). True colors: Grayscale setting reduces screen time in college students. The Social Science Journal, 60(2), 274-290. DOI .
- Hagerty, J., Saretha, S., Phung, B., et al. (2026). A cross-over feasibility trial of smartphone grayscale mode in medical students. Frontiers in Digital Health, 8, 1816095. DOI | PubMed Central .
- Dekker, C. A., & Baumgartner, S. E. (2024). Is life brighter when your phone is not? The efficacy of a grayscale smartphone intervention addressing digital well-being. Mobile Media & Communication, 12(3), 688-708. DOI .
- Olson, J. A., Sandra, D. A., Chmoulevitch, D., Raz, A., & Veissière, S. P. L. (2022). A Nudge-Based Intervention to Reduce Problematic Smartphone Use: Randomised Controlled Trial. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. DOI | PubMed Central .
- Xu, K. Y., Tedrick, T., & Gold, J. A. (2023). Screen Use and Social Media “Addiction” in the Era of TikTok: What Generalists Should Know. Missouri Medicine, 120(6), 440-445. PubMed Central .
- Healthline. (2026). We Tried It: Does Setting Your Phone to Grayscale Reduce Screen Time? Healthline .
- Insights, Trends, Gaps, and Future Direction in Problematic Smartphone Use Interventions: A Systematic Review. (2026). International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 42(17), 13735-13767. DOI .
Note: Research on grayscale mode is still developing. Reported reductions in screen time come from specific studies with particular participants, study designs, and study periods; they should not be interpreted as a guaranteed result for every phone user. Evidence on broader interventions for problematic smartphone use also remains limited by differences in study methods and participant groups.
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