If cutting down on doomscrolling and increasing your step count are on your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2025, then I have the app for you. A new iOS app called Steppin, from the co-founder of travel search engine Kayak, will block access to your social media apps until you’ve got your steps in each day.
It’s up to you to decide how many steps are worth one minute of Instagram or five minutes of TikTok (don’t worry, if you get desperate you can override Steppin’s controls). The app can also limit video games and entertainment sites like Netflix, while, in the future, users will also be able to log alternative activities like yoga or pilates classes to unlock precious screen time.
The app was co-founded by Paul English, who told TechCrunch that he came up with the idea for the app alongside his son, Michael English, and fiancé, Rachel Cohen, while vacationing in Spain. Despite the beautiful scenery, they were constantly using their phones to scroll through social media. Although apps like Forest and Freedom that block social media usage are now commonplace, they came up with the idea of tying this to your daily step count as a way to boost both mental and physical health.
The app is marketed toward Gen Z, but English says he’s felt its benefits himself. “It really applies to everyone,” English told TechCrunch. “We have found through just talking to friends and families that a lot of parents say, ‘I want my teenager to have this, my 12-year-old is addicted,’ And then some adults are saying, ‘Yeah, I too, have a problem, it’s not just Gen Z, I find that I’m on my phone too much and I’m not getting out of the house enough.’ So we’re getting interest from all ages.”
Most of us sit in front of a computer screen for much of the working day, then relax at home watching the TV while simultaenously scrolling on our phone. The link between excessive screen time and declining mental health has been well-documented over the years. Social media overuse has been linked to disrupted sleep and heightened anxiety and depression levels. At the same time, getting outside and exercising daily, even if just a walk, has been linked to improved mood, better sleep, and reduced risk of depression.
If you’re looking to kick a doomscrolling habit, Steppin is free for now, but will likely move to a subscription model (around $20 per month) in the future.
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