one sec

one sec is a different idea from a blocker: it makes you wait a few seconds and choose. That suits habit scrollers better than a hard block. When you open a site on your list, it shows a short breathing animation and then asks whether you still want to go in.

The idea is that a few seconds of friction breaks the automatic reflex of opening Instagram or YouTube. The extension began as a companion to the iPhone and Android apps and now covers Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari on desktop. The Safari extension ships with the Mac app. The vendor describes the extension as free, while the phone app is free for one app with a paid plan for more.

The Chrome Web Store listing says usage data is stored offline on your device, and that the developer makes money from apps and subscriptions, not data. The extension is closed source, so those claims rest on the developer's word and the store labels. Its claim of a large drop in app use comes from its own studies, which we could not check. A pause can be clicked through, so it suits you if you want to be nudged, and not if you need a block you cannot dismiss.