The IRL Solution Parents and Kids Have Been Waiting For
Yogis Nijhon, a venture capitalist and technology enthusiast, has spent her career backing businesses that use tech for good. But this time, she went a step further. Alongside her teenage daughter, Mia Nijhon, and a team of moms, she co-founded Touch Grass Connect, a new app designed to help families ditch the scroll and embrace screen-free fun.
The idea took shape after countless late-night talks about the challenges of modern friendships. Nijhon and her daughter noticed that today’s kids and teens crave connection, but managing real-world relationships in a hyper-digital world can feel nearly impossible. They knew something had to change. So, they built the solution.
Where Tech Meets Heart
The team collaborated with kids, parents, and child development experts. They studied the research and found one undeniable truth: In-person connection is more important than ever.
Touch Grass Connect isn’t just an app. It’s a movement to bring back the lesser talked about fourth pillar of well-being: relaxation and connection (in addition to nutrition, sleep, and movement). The goal is simple: get families (adults and kids) offline and outdoors to build real friendships again. While the app was built for families and enables a parent-child connection, anyone can use it to create real-life hangouts.
Why Parents Love It
Touch Grass Connect is designed for busy, mindful parents. The app makes scheduling their child’s playdates a simple and secure exercise. With just a few taps, users can set up casual meetups, group outings, or one-on-one hangouts. It also includes preloaded safety information, such as allergies, pet sensitivities, and house hazards for in-home playdates. That means fewer text chains and more peace of mind.
Planning is stress-free for parents looking to set up playdates for little kids without devices. Meanwhile, older kids initiate the plans, but parents stay informed, creating a healthy balance of independence and oversight. It’s like a social planner and safety assistant rolled into one!
Why Will Kids Actually Use It?
Unlike most social apps, Touch Grass Connect skips the drama. There are no likes, no spam, and no awkward DMs. It is just a simple way to tag friends and plan hangouts.
Kids love freedom. They can take the lead, make plans on their own terms, and actually look forward to seeing friends face-to-face. They can even use it to set up study groups. It’s an authentic connection in a format that they understand.
A Personal Mission to Build Community
For Nijhon, this mission is personal. Moving between countries taught her that building community is key to thriving. Like many, she felt the sting of isolation during the COVID era. Now, with AI changing the way we live, she believes even small pushes toward personal interaction can have a significant impact on human health and well-being. This is especially true given our increasingly busy yet increasingly isolated lives. For many, this has resulted in exhausted, mindless scrolling or endlessly scheduled activities (to keep kids off screens).
Nijhon recalls a story from her husband’s colleague: After returning from an extended business trip, he was greeted by his daughter, who barely looked up from her phone and asked, “Dad, are you going somewhere?” That moment captured everything Touch Grass Connect hopes to fix.
Looking Ahead
Nijhon dreams of a world where kids unplug, take risks, and make memories. She wants parents to feel confident letting their children explore friendships without hovering. A world where kids naturally come together to connect, without constant adult oversight. It’s how she grew up, learning empathy, problem-solving, and conflict resolution through real-life, unstructured interactions with peers.
She envisions Touch Grass Connect as a platform for connection and building a real-life community.
Join the Movement
This isn’t an anti-tech message. It’s a reminder that technology can be a bridge, not a barrier. Real friendships matter. Community matters, and the time to rebuild is now.
Join the waitlist for Touch Grass Connect on the App Store where the app will be automatically downloaded when released. The app will also be available soon for Android users. It’s good for you, good for your kids, and great for your community.
Published by Stephanie M.
