Want to scroll TikTok first thing in the morning?
Better lace up those sneakers first.
A French fitness startup backed by tennis legend Venus Williams just launched a feature that locks social media apps behind a step count—and they built it using AI vibe coding in just two months.
Here’s how they’re making walking the price of admission to your digital world.
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Earn Your Scroll With Every Step
WeWard, a fitness application with over 30 million users worldwide, recently introduced “Walking Mode”—a feature that blocks selected apps until users hit their personalized daily step goals.
Think of it as ransom for your doomscrolling habit. No 3,000 steps? No Instagram.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The Paris-based company’s CEO, Yves Benchimol, explained to Business Insider that the concept originated from an unexpected source: a non-technical team member who pitched the idea during casual AI discussions.
A few months ago, we were talking about AI when an employee said, ‘Hey, I think I can vibe code a feature where instead of earning financial rewards for working, we can give people a reward from the time screen.’
Tyler Chandler, WeWard’s head of growth, transformed that conversation into reality using Claude AI—no traditional development team required.
From Personal Pain Point to Product Feature
Chandler’s motivation stemmed from his own frustrations with Apple’s screen time controls, which he constantly postponed. His solution? Make movement mandatory before mindless scrolling.
It was born out of a goal: to demonstrate to our product, business, and tech employees that a single person armed with AI-assisted coding could develop a complex feature end-to-end.
The development process showcased vibe coding’s potential—turning an idea into functional software without extensive programming knowledge.
Within eight weeks, Walking Mode became available to millions of users across 29 countries.
We wanted to galvanize the team to get excited about using AI to bring their own ideas to life no matter how ‘out there’ they might seem.
More Than Just Blocking Apps
Walking Mode builds on WeWard’s existing rewards ecosystem, which already incentivizes physical activity through “Wards”—in-app currency users earn by walking.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
These points convert into tangible benefits:
- Cash payments directly to users’ accounts
- Gift cards for popular retailers
- Charitable donations supporting various causes
The platform also features competitive leaderboards that transform daily walks into friendly competitions among friends, family, and coworkers.
Data shows WeWard increases users’ walking time by nearly 25% on average—a significant boost considering physical activity recommendations from health organizations worldwide.
Combating Sedentary Digital Culture
Benchimol views Walking Mode as addressing a critical health crisis: social media’s role in promoting sedentary lifestyles across all age groups.
Finding a way to motivate people to do better stuff is what we want to do, and we believe that constraining people from using social media when they wake up before they do any physical activity is a good way to help people get into a better shape, mentally and physically.
The feature particularly targets morning routines, when many people immediately reach for their phones and fall into scrolling sessions before even getting out of bed.
Rather than relying solely on willpower, Walking Mode creates structural barriers that require physical movement first.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Venus Williams’ Role in Wellness Innovation
Tennis champion Venus Williams serves as an angel investor for WeWard, bringing celebrity credibility and wellness expertise to the platform.
According to Benchimol, Williams enthusiastically supports features encouraging outdoor activity and physical movement, though her involvement focuses primarily on marketing rather than feature development.
Her backing aligns with her well-documented commitment to health optimization, including her plant-based diet and holistic wellness approach.
User Engagement by Design
Interestingly, Benchimol considers brief app usage a success metric rather than a concern. Users typically spend only minutes daily inside WeWard—by design.
So the feature was born as a way to block people from using their phone except if they start working and connect with their surroundings.
This philosophy directly contradicts traditional tech platforms that maximize screen time through addictive design patterns and endless content feeds.
WeWard actively encourages users to close the app and engage with their physical environment instead.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Who’s Actually Using This?
WeWard’s user demographics reveal broad appeal across generations and geographies:
- Average age: 35 years old
- Gender split: 60% women, 40% men
- US presence: 4 million users concentrated in New York, Chicago, and Miami
- Global reach: 30 million total users across 29 countries
These numbers suggest Walking Mode addresses concerns spanning multiple demographics—from younger users battling social media addiction to older adults seeking accountability for fitness goals.
Reframing Digital Access as Earned Privilege
Benchimol’s ultimate vision flips conventional smartphone usage on its head. Instead of defaulting to digital distraction, physical presence becomes the prerequisite.
As a reward for being connected to the world, now you can be in the digital world.
This approach treats social media access as something earned through healthy behavior rather than an automatic entitlement consuming hours without conscious choice.
Walking Mode transforms phones from distraction devices into accountability tools that reward real-world engagement before permitting virtual escapism.
Whether this gamification strategy creates lasting behavior change or simply adds friction to morning routines remains to be seen—but WeWard’s rapid vibe-coded development proves that innovative wellness solutions don’t require massive engineering teams anymore.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Just an idea, AI tools, and willingness to challenge how we interact with technology.
