The app that blocks social media until you get up and work
A new app has a seemingly odd goal for people — that they use apps less. But the people behind the iOS app Steppin accept the reality that many modern individuals need technology to wean themselves off technology.
iOS app Steppin was created by Paul English, the cofounder of the travel site Kayak (purchased by Priceline in 2012 for $1.8 billion). Steppin, which dropped Tuesday on the app store and has the tagline "Escape the Scroll," allows users to block access to sites and apps — with an emphasis on social media — until they complete a self-regulated amount of steps. English's concept, according to The Verge, came after a family trip to Spain that found the clan looking down at their timelines instead of up at the museums and cathedrals.
Steppin users determine how many steps they need to take to unlock, say, a minute of TikTok or five minutes of Instagram. English sees the app as a way to promote both mental and physical health for kids and adults.
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Online controls aren't limited to social media, but also video games and entertainment sites like Netflix. Eventually, Steppin users will be allowed to get creative with what physical exertion unlocks screen time, like yoga or Pilates classes.
Soon to be available on Android as well as iOS, Steppin is free for now, but will likely follow a subscription model (probably around $20 monthly) in the future.
Neal joined Mashable’s Social Good team in 2024, editing and writing stories about digital culture and its effects on the environment and marginalized communities. He is the former editorial director of The Advocate and Out magazines, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Curbed, and Los Angeles magazine, and is a recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for LGBTQ Journalist of the Year Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association (NLGJA). He lives in Los Angeles with his family.
