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
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.
StepBloc
StepBloc lets you lock access to apps until you walk a number of steps you can specify. In addition, you can also 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.
Steppin
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.
TouchGrass
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).
There's even one that literally has you go outside and touch grass before you can scroll TikTok or Instagram.
WalkLock, Walkly & WeWard
WalkLock integrates with Apple Health to limit access to designated apps until you meet your daily step goal, and offers a lockscreen widget that displays your progress. Walkly is an Android app that provides a similar experience. WeWard, meanwhile, initially launched as an app that incentivized walking by awarding users "Wards," an in-app currency that can be exchanged for cash or gift cards — and it recently introduced a "Walking Mode" that restricts app access until you hit specific step counts.