If someone you love is always on their phone, the most useful gift makes the phone a little less necessary. Norma, a steel disc that blocks the apps they choose until they scan it again, comes first on this list. The eight ideas after it are simple objects. Each one takes over a job the phone does today, like the alarm, the clock or the camera.
1. Norma, to block the apps they lose time in
Norma is a stainless-steel disc, 70 mm across and 270 g, that works with an iPhone. They choose the apps to block and scan the disc, and those apps stay closed until they scan it again. If the disc sits in the hallway, opening Instagram means getting up. A session can run on a timer, start when they arrive somewhere, or carry a hardlock that stops them ending it themselves for up to two hours. Emergency unblocks are there for the day they need an app without the disc. A free Mac app blocks the sites and apps they chose with the same scan.
It costs 90 €, paid once, with no subscription. Two discs cost 170 € and ship free, so you can share it: one for them and one for you, or one for home and one for the office. The base that holds the disc is 20 € instead of 25 € until 31 December. Norma works on iPhone and Mac, not on Android, so check their phone first. To see how it compares with the other devices of its kind, read our physical app blockers comparison.
Before Christmas
Orders ship from France within 24 to 48 hours. To receive yours before Christmas, order by 17 December in France, 14 December elsewhere in the European Union, and 7 December for the rest of the world.
2. An alarm clock, so the phone sleeps in another room
When the phone is the alarm, it goes to bed with them and it’s the first thing they hold in the morning. A simple alarm clock lets the phone charge in the kitchen overnight. Pick one with a light they can dim.
3. A watch, to check the time without unlocking
Many unlocks start with a look at the time and end in an app. A plain watch with no notifications answers the question without the screen.
4. An e-reader or a few paper books
Reading on a phone competes with every other app on it. An e-reader with no social apps, or two or three books you picked for them, gives the evening somewhere else to go.
5. A simple camera
A disposable camera, an instant camera or a small digital one lets them take photos at dinner or on a trip without a phone in hand. Instant prints also end up on the fridge rather than in a feed.
6. A notebook and a good pen
Lists, ideas and reminders are a common reason to pick up the phone. A notebook kept on the desk or in a bag takes that job back, and paper has no notifications.
7. A card or board game for the table
A game after dinner gives everyone a reason to leave the phones elsewhere for an hour. Short games that start in two minutes get played more often than long ones that need a whole evening.
8. A place to leave the phone
A bowl, a tray or a small box by the front door gives the phone somewhere to stay when they come home. Put the Norma disc there too, and the phone and the key to its apps both stay by the door, away from the sofa.
9. Plans with a date on them
Tickets for a concert, a cooking class you take together, a weekend away. These are hours they’ll spend somewhere other than on the phone, and they’re easy to wrap.
How to give it without a lecture
- Make it a present, not a remark. “I thought you’d like this” lands better than “you’re always on your phone”.
- Set it up together. Choosing which apps to block takes five minutes and goes better as a conversation.
- Get one for yourself. A gift you use together reads as an invitation.
- Let them set the rules. Norma blocks only the apps they pick. It isn’t a parental-control tool: whoever holds the disc decides.
For more ways to cut down, our guide on how to cut your screen time goes step by step.
Key takeaways
- Norma is a 90 € steel disc that blocks the apps they choose on iPhone and Mac until they scan it again, with no subscription.
- Two discs cost 170 € and ship free, so it also works as a gift for two.
- Order by 17 December (France), 14 December (rest of the EU) or 7 December (rest of the world) to receive it before Christmas.
- An alarm clock, a watch, a camera or an e-reader each take one job away from the phone.
Common questions.
- What do you get someone who is always on their phone?
- Something that makes the phone less necessary. Norma blocks the apps they choose until they scan a steel disc again, which puts some distance between them and those apps. Smaller gifts like an alarm clock, a watch or an e-reader each take over one thing they use the phone for today.
- Is Norma a good gift for a teenager?
- It works best for someone who wants to use their phone less, at any age. They need an iPhone XS or later running iOS 17 or above. Norma isn’t a parental-control tool: the person who has the disc chooses the apps and ends the session.
- Does Norma need a subscription?
- No. The disc costs 90 € once, and the iPhone and Mac apps are free.
- Will Norma arrive before Christmas?
- Orders ship from France within 24 to 48 hours. Order by 17 December for France, 14 December for the rest of the European Union and 7 December for the rest of the world. The delivery date for your country is shown on the shop page before you pay.
- Does Norma work on Android?
- No. Norma works with iPhone (XS or later, iOS 17 or above) and with a free Mac app.
A gift for the person always on their phone.
A steel disc they scan with their iPhone to block the apps they chose, on their phone and their Mac. Paid once, no subscription, shipped from France.
