Want to keep scrolling through your favorite social apps? First take a walk.

WeWard, the French fitness platform that counts tennis legend Venus Williams among its backers, has introduced a new capability called Walking Mode. The tool places apps such as TikTok and Instagram behind a personal step target, so users must reach a chosen number of steps, for example three thousand, before the apps become available again.

Company cofounder and chief executive Yves Benchimol explained that the concept originated with a non-technical colleague. Head of growth Tyler Chandler then used the AI tool Claude to build and release the feature in roughly two months.

"A few months ago during an internal discussion about artificial intelligence, one employee suggested creating a feature that rewards users with screen time instead of cash," Benchimol recalled.

Chandler said the idea also stemmed from his own habit of repeatedly delaying the built-in screen-time limits on his phone.

"The project was designed to show our product, business, and engineering teams that one person using AI tools could deliver a full feature from start to finish," Chandler noted.

"Our goal was to encourage everyone at the company to experiment with AI and turn their own ideas into working products, even the more unusual ones," he added.

The new mode builds on WeWard's current system that awards in-app points called Wards for every step taken. Those points can be exchanged for cash, gift cards, or donations, and the app also runs leaderboards to foster competition among friends.

Benchimol said the feature targets anyone who wants to move more while spending less time on screens, noting that social platforms encourage a largely inactive lifestyle across all age groups.

"We aim to motivate healthier habits, and requiring some physical activity before social media use in the morning is one practical way to support both mental and physical well-being," Benchimol stated.

He added that Williams, who serves as an angel investor, supports every initiative that gets people outdoors and active, although her main role centers on marketing rather than product decisions.

Representatives for Williams did not reply to requests for comment.

Benchimol observed that most users open the app for only a few minutes daily, which he considers a success because the service is meant to prompt activity away from phones.

The Paris company reports more than thirty million users in twenty-nine countries, including four million in the United States, with the largest user bases in New York, Chicago, and Miami. It claims the platform boosts average daily walking time by nearly twenty-five percent. Current users average about thirty-five years old, and sixty percent are women.

"The feature prevents phone use first thing in the morning unless the person gets moving and engages with their surroundings," Benchimol said.

He summarized the philosophy simply: users earn digital access as a reward for first connecting with the physical world around them.