This app will actually require you to touch some grass in order to unlock poorly rated apps.

      In 2023, the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) issued an advisory regarding social media and youth mental health, revealing that an astounding 95% of teenagers aged 13 to 17 report using social media "almost constantly."

      The comprehensive report, referencing research, stated, “Individuals with frequent and problematic social media usage may experience alterations in brain structure akin to those found in people with substance use or gambling addictions.”

      A unique app may offer some relief by encouraging users to physically connect with nature, specifically by prompting them to touch grass and take a photo as proof before they can access certain problematic apps. Named Touch Grass: Reduce Screentime, the app was developed by Rhys Kentish, a software engineer at Brightec, a company based in the UK.

      Scheduled for release on March 14, the app is currently available for pre-download on the App Store. The concept of the app is simple: it identifies the apps that lead you into a cycle of endless scrolling and allows you to tag them within the app.

      When you wish to access these apps again, you must go outside, touch grass, and photograph the act with your phone's camera. The integrated computer vision system—similar to technology used in Google Lens and self-driving vehicles—will then verify that you have indeed touched grass before unlocking the apps.

      The Touch Grass app is not strictly enforced; users are allowed a few skips each month and can adjust the unlock duration to accommodate their digital habits. The developer notes that the app will only accept "real grass."

      I am excited to explore this feature and will monitor social media for interesting hacks related to it.

      The app’s description states its goal is to combat phone addiction, encourage users to develop healthier digital habits, and maintain a balance between mindful technology use and real-world experiences.

      Additionally, users will have the option to purchase skips, with half of the revenue from these in-app purchases allocated to rewilding initiatives in the UK. This means you can avoid falling into another digital trap, and even if you do give in, nature will still benefit from your lapses.

      In the meantime, you can check the Screen Time dashboard on your iPhone to monitor your smartphone usage, set limits on usage time, enable the Downtime feature, and activate parental controls as well. Similar tools are available in the Digital Wellbeing dashboard for Android users.

      The primary aim is to help control your screen time. Research published in the PNAS NEXUS journal this year suggested that reducing daily screen time was even more effective than antidepressants. It also aided users in enhancing their self-control, fostering social connections, spending more time in the real world, and achieving better sleep.