Steppin is a new app that locks your social media apps unless you get out of your car and walk

The app store offers a variety of different services designed to help you reduce screen time and count steps. A new iOS app called Steppin combines these two ideas, helping users do both at the same time to bridge the gap between physical and mental health.

Steppin blocks your social media apps unless you take a certain number of steps each day. By meeting your daily step goal, you can free up time on your most used social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram.

The app was co-founded by Paul English, who previously launched travel search engine Kayak, which was later acquired by Priceline for $1.8 billion. Paul told TechCrunch that he came up with the idea for the app while on vacation in Spain with his son, Michael English, and his fiancé, Rachel Cohen.

They found that even though they were traveling to beautiful places, they were still constantly on their phones and scrolling through social media. While they knew the app would block you from using social media, they considered tying it to the number of steps you took on a specific day. They believe doing so can help people enhance their physical and mental health.

The app works by letting you decide how many steps it takes to get a minute of screen time. You can be as aggressive or as permissive as you want. For example, you could decide that you need to walk 100 steps to earn a minute on TikTok. If for some reason you need to access an application, you can override Steppin's controls.

Not only can Steppin connect with social media apps, you can also reduce the use of other apps that take up your time, such as Netflix or certain games.

While the app is marketed towards Gen Z, English said it can be beneficial for people of all ages, especially since he himself has been using Steppin to reduce his social media use.

“This really applies to everyone,” Paul said. “What we found by talking to friends and family was that a lot of parents said, 'I wish my kids had this, my 12-year-old is addicted,' and then some adults said, 'Yeah, me too, 'I have a problem.' , not just Gen Z, I find myself spending too much time on my phone and not enough time outside. “So we have interest from all ages.”

The app is free at launch, but the company plans to make it available via an annual subscription at some point in the future. While Steppin hasn't finalized pricing yet, it's expected to cost around $20.

Going forward, Steppin won't just be about step counts, as you'll be able to log things like yoga classes or other physical activities to earn time on social media.

“We're going to create a leaderboard so you can see your friends who use social media the least,” Paul said. “We'll enter into the app the number of days in a row that you've successfully used the app. So that's something for parents. They can say to their kids, 'Hey, how about Steppin?' “When the child opens the app, the parent will say, 'Wait a minute, you cheated three days ago. “Or they will find themselves using it for 30 days in a row without cheating.”

Steppin is available for download on iOS starting Tuesday and will roll out to Android users in the coming weeks.