'Touch Grass': App encourages people to literally 'touch grass' to combat doomscrolling

We've all fallen into the social media trap – a quick scroll through TikTok, and before you know it, two hours have passed. You know you should get up and head outside, or as Gen Z call it, "go and touch grass," but what if there was an app that makes you do just that?

Enter Touch Grass, an innovative solution that literally forces you to go outside and, well, touch grass.

This kind of digital detox is more necessary than ever, as many of us have fallen victim to the phenomenon of doomscrolling. Doomscrolling is the act of endlessly scrolling through your phone, consuming a stream of news and videos that often lean toward the negative. Unfortunately, this behaviour can take a serious toll on both our mental health and overall well-being.

Research from Flinders University in Australia previously highlighted just how damaging doomscrolling can be, revealing that it contributes to heightened stress, anxiety, and even despair.

According to researcher Reza Shabahang, this constant exposure to negative news on social media can even lead to something called vicarious trauma – where individuals experience the psychological effects of traumatic events they haven't personally lived through.

Given the growing concerns over the psychological impact of social media addiction and doomscrolling, some have sought creative ways to break the cycle.

A 29-year-old app developer from London, Rhys Kentish, turned to X/Twitter with his new creation, which has already garnered significant attention. Known for his innovative approach, Rhys previously built an app that automatically transferred money into his savings account each time he scrolled through social media.

This time, Rhys introduced an app aimed at curbing his habit of doomscrolling with an intriguing twist: It encourages users to "touch grass."

"I built an app to stop me doomscrolling by touching grass," Rhys announced in a post that quickly amassed an impressive 1.2 million views.

In the accompanying video, Rhys demonstrated the app's functionality. The concept is simple yet effective: after stepping outside and proving you've physically "touched grass" by using your phone's camera, your apps will be unlocked for a predetermined period of either 15 minutes, an hour, until sunset, or even for the rest of the day.

"It leverages Apple's Screen Time API to block apps, and when you attempt to access a blocked app, you'll receive a push notification prompting you to touch grass," he told Indy100.

The grass detection feature uses machine learning and Apple's Vision framework to analyse photos and detect whether grass is present. If the app identifies grass with a sufficient level of confidence (and no signs of tricks, like fake grass or carpet), your apps are unlocked.

To make it even more engaging, users are allowed one "skip" each month, enabling them to bypass the grass test if necessary. Additional skips can be purchased at a price of the user's choosing, with half of the proceeds going to support rewilding projects in the UK.

Rhys was inspired to create Touch Grass after becoming "sick and tired" of his morning reflex of reaching for his phone and scrolling for an hour.

"It didn't feel good, and I wasn't getting anything out of it," he shared. "Touch grass is typically a joke said to someone when they're spending too much time online, so why not actually make it a thing? What I enjoy doing is blending the digital world with the real world – I love products and shows that do that, so I want my work to reflect that."

The app is already available for pre-saving ahead of its 14 March launch and has already racked up interest from thousands of social media users.

"May I please have this? Yesterday, I literally discussed an app like this at college," one wrote, as another responded: "Holy s***, in todays times this probably could sell like crazy."

Meanwhile, another humoured: "How many times have you needed to go out and touch grass while developing to test it?"

As for the future of Touch Grass, Rhys shared how there's already an overwhelming demand that allows people in colder and snowier climates to use the app.

"Touch Snow, people are mentioning," Rhys said. "I'm going to do one better and allow the user to choose what they want to touch to unlock their apps. Maybe there'll be an Android version to come soon as well!"

You may also like...

• What is 'doomscrolling' and can it mentally affect us?
• New study reveals 'problematic' consequences of Gen Z's smartphone addiction

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