In today’s attention economy, social media platforms, entertainment apps and news feeds all compete for our focus.

Millions of people have turned to focus apps in response to help them be more productive while studying or working. Some of these apps help us manage our attention by blocking distracting apps or websites.

Whether it’s growing a virtual tree in Forest or locking down social media with Apple Screen Time, these apps promise to help us “regain control.”

Unfortunately, if you’re neurodivergent, these digital distraction blockers may actually make you feel worse about yourself, according to our recent research at the University of British Columbia.

Neurodivergent individuals, who make up an estimated 10 to 20 per cent of the Canadian population, are people whose brains work differently than most. They have conditions that include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

For post-secondary students, this percentage is likely higher, as fewer than half choose to disclose their neurodivergence — meaning these focus apps fail to support a significant population of users, including many who may benefit from them most.

While distraction blockers aim to help, we found that their inflexible designs often clash with the ways neurodivergent........

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