While the internet connects us, it often traps us. Social media feeds, shopping apps, and streaming platforms keep us scrolling, refreshing, and, frankly, wasting hours of our lives. One app is taking this meme and turning it into a solution for digital fatigue, making us “touch grass” in the most literal sense.

Touch some grass meaning: Behind the meme

When someone tells you to “touch grass,” it’s a humorous way of saying, “That’s enough internet for you. Put down your phone, step outside, and reconnect with the real world.” The phrase was seen around the internet as early as 2015, but it wasn’t until the early pandemic that it really gained traction, notably on platforms like Twitter (now X). It’s often as a sarcastic jab at users stuck in heated arguments, hyperfixated on niche topics, or just chronically online.

some of you really need to get off twitter and go touch some grass and go experience some real life situations.

— SLIM (@_slimarella_) February 23, 2025

The idea behind the phrase is that spending too much time online can disconnect us from reality, making us completely insufferable (not to mention anxious and depressed).

Thankfully, there’s now an app for that.

What is the Touch Grass App?

Created by Rhys Kentish, a senior software engineer at Brightec, the Touch Grass app takes the meme and turns it into a productivity tool.

Kentish created the app for himself. “I was sick and tired of my reflex in the morning being to reach for my phone and scroll for upwards of an hour,” he told Fast Company. “It didn’t feel good and I wasn’t getting anything out of it.”

Here’s how it works:

• Select Your “Problem Apps”: Identify the apps that distract you most—whether that’s Instagram, TikTok, or even Reddit.
• Block Them: These apps will be blocked by default on your phone.
• Touch Grass to Unlock: Need to access those blocked apps? You’ll have to physically go outside, snap a picture of grass, and upload it to the app. Using Google’s Cloud Vision API (think AI-powered image recognition), the app verifies your photo to unblock your chosen apps.
• Customize Your Break Time: Once verified, you can decide how long you want those apps to stay unlocked.

It’s simple, but actually quite genius.

Do you need to touch grass?

If you’re someone who’s trying to cut down that doomscrolling habit, re-enter the real world, or just reclaim hours in your day, it’s worth checking out the Touch Grass app. It’s currently available for preorder and is expected to launch for iOS users by mid-March.

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