Show HN: I built a tool that blocks social media until you scream "I'm a loser"

76•madinmo•3h ago

Hi all,

I kept wasting time on social media, even though I’d promised myself I’d stay focused. Regular site blockers didn’t help.

I needed something that felt annoying enough to break the habit. That’s how the idea came up: make the blocker ask me to say something embarrassing out loud before it lets me back in. If I actually have to yell “I’m a loser” into my mic. Even better - the louder I screamed, the more time I’d get.

So I put together Scream to Unlock. It’s silly, but so far it’s done its job. My social feeds stay locked unless I really want them.

Extension link - https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/scream-to-unlock-ye...

Its open source and transparent - https://github.com/Pankajtanwarbanna/scream-to-unlock. No data collection or tracking, Audio processing happens locally in your browser. No recordings saved or transmitted.

Comments

CoastalCoder•1h ago

You should run with this idea!

Now make a "Dungeon Crawler Carl" -branded one that requires a webcam, bare feet, and nail polish!

GavCo•1h ago

This is cute, but in all seriousness it would be much more effective to shout "I'm a winner"

Research:

- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3354773/ – Low self-esteem + rejection hurts self-control

- https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2007_Power... – Self-criticism predicts less goal progress

- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9916102/ – Social exclusion slows inhibitory control

- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1191... – Low teen self-esteem → poorer self-control

- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8768475/ – Meta-analysis links shame to regulation drops

- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28810473/ – Self-compassion boosts self-regulation

- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312138882_Self-Cont... – Ego threats deplete self-control resources

- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21632968/ – Self-criticism tied to worse goal progress

- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-96476-8 – Low self-respect → low self-control → problems

Remember to be kind to yourself.

hodder•1h ago

But the point is you aren't a winner if you are unlocking social media. You are opening the gate to loserdom. I'm not sure how the I'm a winner concept would apply here using one of the four methods of operant conditioning.

The research stands, but the practical application of his app is based on a Positive Punishment operant conditioning.

jigarjain•53m ago

I imagine what the OP meant is that when you feel you are wasting time on Social Media, if you say "I am a winner / I am better than this" (or something more positive), it will block the social media for you. So basically the reverse.

9rx•33m ago

What suggests that shouting "I am a winner" is less annoying than shouting "I am a loser"? In fact, not just less annoying, but it has to be pleasant as in that scenario you would have to scream it while you are already struggling with impulse control. Even the slightest reason to not to do so would see you not do it in that type of situation.

haswell•40m ago

> you aren't a winner if you are unlocking social media. You are opening the gate to loserdom

That is not a psychologically healthy way to frame this.

And I think it’s a stretch to say that screaming “I’m a loser” is positive punishment, which seems just as likely to reinforce negative self beliefs that lead to the outcomes described in the parent comment’s research and opposite of what the user presumably wants.

To your point, just flipping this around to “I’m a winner” doesn’t seem quite right either. But more importantly, reinforcing the idea that “I’m a loser” seems counterproductive either way.

doublerabbit•22m ago

Just because surveys say X = Y it doesn't necessary mean it has to apply to everyone's mindset.

latexr•13m ago

Of course not everyone. That goes without saying, everyone is different and you’ll always find someone who is an exception. But when you build something for other people to use, it is useful to understand what is the most common mindset for your audience.

haswell•4m ago

[delayed]

latexr•15m ago

> To your point, just flipping this around to “I’m a winner” doesn’t seem quite right either. But more importantly, reinforcing the idea that “I’m a loser” seems counterproductive either way.

Maybe the solution would be to have to shout something embarrassing but not deprecating towards your own self-worth. Like “I eat spaghetti through my nose” or “my poop comes out really soft”. You’d certainly avoid using social media in public.

nemomarx•4m ago

Positive in the conditioning sense just means "something you have to do" where a negative punishment would be something being removed. It doesn't specify if the outcome is bad or good

stared•30m ago

Yes - but then you go into the vicious cycle. Something in the line of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry:

Why are you drinking? — the little prince asked.

- In order to forget — replied the drunkard.

- To forget what? — inquired the little prince, who was already feeling sorry for him.

- To forget that I am ashamed — the drunkard confessed, hanging his head.

- Ashamed of what? — asked the little prince who wanted to help him.

- Ashamed of drinking! — concluded the drunkard, withdrawing into total silence.

---

What helps is self-forgiveness and being gentle towards oneself. (I also was in the mode of guilt-tripping myself; and still, I do that often. But it does not help.)

jlongr•23m ago

You're on social media.

snek_case•11m ago

Then the command should probably be "I summon you to open the gate to loserdom!"

jerf•23m ago

I have on some occasions been tempted to wire up a shock collar to myself (or equivalent) and do some experiment for things like not visiting social media websites during certain times, but I find myself concerned that I may be reaching way, way further down the metaphorical "brain stack" than I really intend with that and could do some seriously weird things to myself in the process. So far I've always judged that risk as greater than the reward.

Yelling "I'm a loser" too much reminds me of that, though on a different level of the "brain stack". I get the sentiment, and I understand the somewhat playful intent, but quite seriously I'd suggest something more neutral at the very least. Maybe it's completely harmless, but that's clearly the best case scenario, and it goes down hill fast after that. "First, do no harm" strikes me as relevant here, and important as ever.

netsharc•1h ago

The relevant code: https://github.com/Pankajtanwarbanna/scream-to-unlock/blob/m...

Are you sure Chrome doesn't talk to Google's server to convert the speech to text?

sodimel•39m ago

It seems to send the data to google's servers.

> Note: On some browsers, like Chrome, using Speech Recognition on a web page involves a server-based recognition engine. Your audio is sent to a web service for recognition processing, so it won't work offline.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Speech_...

snickerdoodle12•1h ago

Can't you just uninstall the extension?

yellow_lead•47m ago

In order to uninstall it, you must scream "I'm a huge loser." (Just kidding)

bdbenton5255•54m ago

What the fuck? Are you a masochist? I do not even use social media. These websites are elaborate scams full of botnets and paid users that will censor you for even slightly dissenting against the policies of the government.

marginalia_nu•46m ago

At last verification can technology is real. YC better swoop this one up. It's going places.

mikesabat•40m ago

If you want to make a kids app... Forcing the child to do a number of math problems to continue using the tablet would be an amazing app that I would definitely pay for.

My daughter is a second grader. If every 5 minutes of tablet use 'cost' her 5 correct arithmetic answers she would be working at space x right now.

dekervin•28m ago

Can I reach you over email ? Mine is in profile ! I want to share something not ready for primetime.

mikesabat•7m ago

I sent an email - excited to see what you've got.

graemep•4m ago

It would work short term, but I would worry that it makes a a price to be paid which will impair joy in learning the subject in the long term.

Its much better to make kids interested in learning than to reward reaching goals or punish failing to reach them.

layer8•30m ago

Does singing the Beck song work?

hliyan•29m ago

Perhaps a better approach would be to randomly replace links in your social media app with links to a random image of what you imagine to be a social media addict, or someone who has ruined their lives due to social media. Perpahs with a message like "This will be you in X years". Hopefully over time the subconscious parts of your brain will get the message. In your current approach, the signalling is largely aimed at the conscious part, which is usually not where the problem lies.

9rx•21m ago

> links to a random image of what you imagine to be a social media addict, or someone who has ruined their lives due to social media.

Wouldn't that simply be a picture of himself?

titusblair•15m ago

LOl hilarious!

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I found inverting colors in Accessibility settings works great. Phone is still useable, but everything feels strange and icky.

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