A new browser extension designed to force users off social media has gone viral by sending a giant cat onto their screen when they scroll for too long.
Cat Gatekeeper is a Chrome extension from developer ZOKUZOKU that works like a digital break timer for social media. Instead of simply sending a notification or blocking a page, the app places a large orange cat overlay across the browser window, making it impossible to keep using the site until the timer ends.
The app caught attention on X after the developer posted a demo showing the cat walking across the screen and sitting in front of the feed, with the translated caption: “I made a forced break app for Kitty! If you use SNS too much, Kitty appears and takes over the screen.”
Cat Gatekeeper forces social media breaks with giant cat overlay
According to the Chrome Web Store listing, Cat Gatekeeper is described as “the cutest forced-break app” and is aimed at people who keep opening social media without thinking, suddenly realize an hour has passed, or struggle to stop scrolling through willpower alone.
Users can set their own usage limit (defaulting to 60 minutes) and a break time (defaulting to 5 minutes). Once the limit is reached, the cat appears on screen, and the user must wait until the countdown ends before the session resets.
The extension only counts time while a supported social media tab is active. If the user switches to another tab or app, the timer pauses instead of continuing in the background.
The Chrome Web Store page currently lists support for X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, though screenshots shared by the developer also show options for Facebook, Reddit, Threads, and Bluesky.
The developer says page access permission is only used to display the time-limit cat overlay, and that no data is collected or transmitted externally. The extension is also listed as free with no ads.
The idea has already spread widely on X, with users joking that the cat might be too effective. One reply showed the cat sitting across the feed and settings menu, saying it becomes “inoperable” while the cat is on screen.
