CortexGap

About

Found a bug? I'm a student developer—please email me at  [email protected] before leaving a review so I can fix it for you!

CortexGap: Intentional Friction for Social Media

Take back control of your attention. CortexGap is a minimalist tool designed to break the "autopilot" habit of opening social media. Instead of a hard block, it introduces a brief moment of friction to help you regain conscious intent.

-- KEY FEATURES --

Current Support: Optimised for YouTube Feed/Shorts and Instagram Feed/Reels and Explore. 

Active Feed Blur: Automatically blurs thumbnails and video feeds on YouTube and Instagram. This removes the visual "hooks" that trigger mindless clicking before you’ve even decided what to watch.

"Hold-to-Reveal" Button: To unlock the feed, you must physically click and hold a button. This creates a brief "speed bump," giving your brain enough time to realise if you are browsing out of intent or just out of boredom.

Privacy-First Design: All processing happens locally on your browser. We never track your history, store your data, or send anything to external servers.

-- WHY IT WORKS --

Breaks the Habit Loop: Most scrolling starts as a subconscious "twitch." By forcing a 3-second physical interaction, CortexGap shifts you from autopilot to intentional thinking.

Less Restrictive than Blockers: Unlike site blockers that you'll likely disable when you're frustrated, CortexGap allows you access—it just ensures that access is a choice, not a reflex.

-- ABOUT THE PROJECT --

CortexGap was developed by a student at UNSW Sydney to explore how "friction" can break digital habit loops. By using this tool, you are helping test a more human-centric approach to digital wellbeing.

-- PRIVACY & TERMS -- By using this extension, you agree to the CortexGap Privacy Policy. We are committed to a single-purpose, distraction-free experience with zero data collection.