Our latest update forces you to pet your dog before you can scroll on social media. Turn a mindless habit into real world joy, and add a little friction to your doom scrolling. This isn’t just cute — it’s behavioral science meets emotional design.
Want to scroll? First, you have to literally pet your dog.
We thought about doing it as an April Fools joke, but once we tested it, we realized it actually works.
It brings a moment of real-world connection into a habit that’s usually unconscious and compulsive. Plus it’s way harder to mindlessly open TikTok when your pup is looking up at you for scratches. It’s camera-powered, privacy-safe, and designed to help you break the doomscrolling habit.
🐕 Works with any dog
📵 Block any app with custom rules
❤️ Built to help you be more present
Our goal with Roots is to help people build a balanced relationship with their phones — and change behavior in a fun, long-lasting way.
Would love to hear what you think. And if you don’t have a dog nearby… don’t worry, this is just the first in a series of new "speed bumps" we're releasing 😉
— Clint
About Pet a dog to use social media — by Roots on Product Hunt
“the most wholesome app blocker on the internet ”
Pet a dog to use social media — by Roots launched on Product Hunt on June 4th, 2025 and earned 147 upvotes and 34 comments, placing #11 on the daily leaderboard. Our latest update forces you to pet your dog before you can scroll on social media. Turn a mindless habit into real world joy, and add a little friction to your doom scrolling. This isn’t just cute — it’s behavioral science meets emotional design.
On the analytics side, Pet a dog to use social media — by Roots competes within Productivity, Pets and Tech — topics that collectively have 1.3M followers on Product Hunt. The dashboard above tracks how Pet a dog to use social media — by Roots performed against the three products that launched closest to it on the same day.
Who hunted Pet a dog to use social media — by Roots?
Pet a dog to use social media — by Roots was hunted by Clint Jarvis. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
For a complete overview of Pet a dog to use social media — by Roots including community comment highlights and product details, visit the product overview.
Clint Jarvis
Hey everyone — Clint here, founder of Roots 🐾
Want to scroll? First, you have to literally pet your dog.
We thought about doing it as an April Fools joke, but once we tested it, we realized it actually works.
It brings a moment of real-world connection into a habit that’s usually unconscious and compulsive. Plus it’s way harder to mindlessly open TikTok when your pup is looking up at you for scratches. It’s camera-powered, privacy-safe, and designed to help you break the doomscrolling habit.
🐕 Works with any dog
📵 Block any app with custom rules
❤️ Built to help you be more present
Our goal with Roots is to help people build a balanced relationship with their phones — and change behavior in a fun, long-lasting way.
Would love to hear what you think. And if you don’t have a dog nearby… don’t worry, this is just the first in a series of new "speed bumps" we're releasing 😉
— Clint