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one sec – story, features and facts

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About one sec’s creator – Frederik Riedel

Frederik, the developer behind one sec, programmed his first app at the age of 15. Five years later, he founded his own company.

Each of Frederik’s app ideas is rooted in his own needs. He builds tools for himself – and afterward publishes them so they can also benefit others. His goal is to create an added value to society; in the case of one sec: help people to free themselves from addictive algorithms and spend their time in a more meaningful way.

Some facts about Frederik:

  • Born in 1995 in Stuttgart, Germany
  • Based in Barcelona
  • Studied Software Engineering at University of Stuttgart
  • Received 5 Apple scholarships for the World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) in Silicon Valley
  • Internship at Apple in Cupertino in 2017
  • Took part in Apple Entrepreneur Camp 2019
  • Both his apps Redpoint and one sec were selected by Apple as “App of the Day”.

How did the idea for one sec come about?

Born in 1995, Frederik has experienced the rise of smartphones and social media from the very beginning. Growing up as a member of the early Generation Z, the internet and apps have been inherent parts of his life for many years. But during the pandemic, it went out of control. When learning about a technique to reduce social media use “by taking a deep breath before opening the app”, he had an idea. “It made sense, but I saw a problem: It only works if we open an app consciously, which oftentimes isn’t the case.”

Existing apps only offered a temporary solution. Frederik has tried them all, but they were just not sufficient. As a consequence, Frederik decided to create his own app. He used his coding skills to program an automation that simply “forces” people to take that deep breath. The result: They think twice before opening time-killing apps and websites.

How does one sec work?

Our social media habits are the outcome of psychological mechanisms that apps trigger in our brains. They use the system of instant gratification, which releases dopamine whenever we perceive a like or a message on our phone.

one sec’s approach is to break those habits. It makes it mandatory for users to complete an exercise before they’re able to use a configured app. By making them wait longer for social media to open, their brains lose interest in quick dopamine hits over time.

Contrary to other apps with similar objectives, one sec is not a temporary solution – it’s an always-on companion to cancel out dopamine traps of social media. It’s the best app to sustain a healthy relationship with social media and other distracting apps.

An overview of one sec’s features:

  • Breathing exercise — forces you to take a deep breath every time you open social media or any other app
  • Breathwork exercises — more breathing practices to increase mental clarity and reduce stress or anxiety
  • Physical or playful exercises — like “Rotate your Phone”, “Follow the Dot” or “Math Problem”
  • Affirmation interventions — like “Mirror”: Look in your own eyes and tell yourself that you really want to open that app right now
  • Healthy Alternatives — suggests a custom alternative to scrolling — like pursuing a hobby, reading a book or calling a friend
  • Emotion or Intention Tracker — explore how your app usage affects your mood or set an intention before opening an app
  • Journaling – write down your thoughts and feelings
  • Block Session — block selected apps (instantly or scheduled)
  • Phone-Free Morning — prevents you from opening apps right after waking up
  • Adult Content Detox — block adult content websites
  • Remove In-App Distractions — block in-app features such as Reels or Stories on Instagram, or Shorts on Youtube
  • Integrations — combine one sec with LENGO or Structured to learn a language or work on unfinished tasks instead of scrolling

Feature availability depends on the platform (iOS, Android, Browser, Mac).

one sec’s free version is restricted to the breathing exercise and to configuring one app.

What do people use one sec for?

People use one sec mainly to block …

  • Social media
  • Gaming
  • Stock and crypto portfolio apps
  • Dating apps such as Tinder or Grindr
  • News apps and websites
  • Shopping (avoiding impulse purchases)
  • Video streaming (YouTube, Netflix)

How does one sec generate revenue?

one sec can be used for free to configure one app. This way, users can convince themselves of one sec’s effect before spending any money. If they want to use one sec for more than one app, they can go for the Pro version. Prices can be viewed here.

No user data is sold whatsoever. Besides, one sec doesn’t have any investors. The company has been able to self-finance from the start.

Science-based approach – effects confirmed by Max Planck Institute

one sec is the only app in the screen-time category with peer-reviewed academic research at its core, which was shown in a scientific report by the University of Cambridge.

We have conducted a study in cooperation with researchers from German Max Planck Institute to measure one sec’s effects on app habits. The result: one sec reduces app usage by 57 % on average. The associated research paper has been peer-reviewed and published, it can be accessed here.

Moreover, one sec has taken part in several research projects initiated by research institutes and federal institutions:

User feedback

one sec has received over 115.000 ratings internationally, of which almost 90 % are 5-star-ratings (as of August 2026). The average rating is 4.8 stars.

Availability – where to get one sec

Download the app or browser extension here:

Interesting facts on social media use

  • On average, people spend 17 hours per week on social media.
    (Source: Statista)
  • 54% of young adults in the U.S. meet the criteria for problematic internet use.
    (Source: Moreno M, Riddle K, Jenkins MC, Singh AP, Zhao Q, Eickhoff J. Measuring Problematic Internet Use, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Social Media Addiction in Young Adults: Cross-sectional Survey Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2022;8(1):e27719, doi: 10.2196/27719)
  • Heavy social media use is associated with depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents.
    (Source: Betul Keles, Niall McCrae & Annmarie Grealish (2020) A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents, International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25:1, 79-93, doi: 10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851)
  • Cutting back on social media (not necessarily quitting completely!) significantly lowers depression symptoms.
    (Source: May, W., Malouff, J. M., & Meynadier, J. (2025). Reducing social media use decreases depression symptoms: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 15(11), 222. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe15110222)

one sec in the media

Shoutouts

  • This free app saves me around 21 hours every month. – Ali Abdaal auf Youtube

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