Doomscrolling can be addictive. It’s common to end up on the couch for hours, mindlessly scrolling through feeds, which inevitably messes up your posture and, in the end, just ends up making you feel bad about yourself. Your eyes definitely don’t like it, either.
Fortunately, there are several apps that encourage you to get up and move before you dive into social media. There’s even one that literally has you go outside and touch grass before you can scroll TikTok or Instagram.
So, if you’re looking to cut back on screen time and be a little more active, here’s a roundup of some apps that can help.
Digital Carrot blocks distracting apps, websites and games until you meet your daily fitness, productivity or screen time goals.
It connects to wearables like the Apple Watch, and you can set personalized targets, say walking 6,000 steps a day. It also supports GPS- and time-based challenges, allowing users to block apps until they spend a certain amount of time at a specific location, such as completing a 60-minute workout at the gym.
The app’s available on iPhone, Android, as well as macOS, Windows, and Linux.
MeBeMe is aimed at helping users cultivate better habits. Instead of blocking phone access, the app sends you notifications to achieve certain missions, such as doing burpees, connecting with people, or warming up for three minutes.
Though not solely focused on physical activity, its “Body” category includes challenges for athletes, dancers, cyclists, and runners.
The app is currently available for free for iOS devices.
StepBloc lets you lock access to apps until you walk a number of steps you can specify. In addition, you can also have link app access to completing specific workouts, such as push-ups, planks or squats for a specified amount of time.
Once the workout is completed, the user can access selected apps like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or games. This makes StepBloc particularly useful for people who want to offset their sedentary habits with short bursts of exercise.
StepBloc is free on iOS devices, and requires a subscription for unlimited access.
Created by the founder of Kayak, Steppin lets you trade physical movement for screen time. For example, it allows you to reward yourself with one minute of scrolling for every 100 steps you take.
You have the flexibility to set your own step goals for accessing social media, streaming services or mobile games.
It’s available to download on iOS devices.
TouchGrass brings a unique twist to preventing doomscrolling habits by requiring you to step outside and take a photo of grass to unlock distracting apps.
The app uses computer vision models to scan photos, and it will only accept images of grass (not trees or other plants).
The freemium version allows you to lock two apps, and you can pay $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year to be able to lock more apps.
This iOS app integrates with Apple Health to limit access to designated apps until you meet your daily step goal.
The app automatically tracks steps using health data collected by the iPhone or Apple Watch. It offers a lockscreen widget, too, which displays progress throughout the day, making it easy to monitor how close you are to unlocking apps.
Walkly is an Android app that provides a similar experience as WalkLock.
It locks selected social media, gaming, and other distracting apps until users walk a predetermined number of steps. The app continuously monitors physical activity and automatically unlocks apps when the walking goal has been achieved.
WeWard initially launched as an app that incentivized walking by awarding users “Wards,” an in-app currency that can be exchanged for cash, gift cards or donations. It recently introduced “Walking Mode,” which allows users to restrict app access until they meet specific step counts. Both the step goals and locked apps are customizable.
It’s available for iOS and Android.
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Lauren Forristal Lauren covers media, streaming, apps and platforms at TechCrunch.
You can contact or verify outreach from Lauren by emailing laurenf.techcrunch@gmail.com or via encrypted message at laurenforris22.25 on Signal.
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