The Dangers of Doomscrolling

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.

Finding Balance

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.

Top Apps to Help You Break the Habit

• 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 allows you to set personalized targets.
• MeBeMe: Sends you notifications to achieve certain missions, such as doing burpees, connecting with people, or warming up for three minutes. Its "Body" category includes challenges for athletes, dancers, cyclists, and runners.
• StepBloc: Lets you lock access to apps until you walk a number of steps you can specify. You can also link app access to completing specific workouts, such as push-ups, planks, or squats for a specified amount of time.
• Steppin: Trades physical movement for screen time. For example, it allows you to reward yourself with one minute of scrolling for every 100 steps you take.
• TouchGrass: Requires you to step outside and take a photo of grass to unlock distracting apps. The app uses computer vision models to scan photos and only accepts images of grass (not trees or other plants).
• Walkly: Locks selected social media, gaming, and other distracting apps until users walk a predetermined number of steps. It 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.

Conclusion

Breaking the habit of doomscrolling can be challenging, but with the right tools, it's definitely achievable. These innovative apps offer a range of solutions to help you achieve your fitness goals, reduce screen time, and stay active. So, take the first step towards a healthier you and give one of these apps a try today.