Winning 2nd prize at the UNESCO CREGU – CK Group of Educational Institutions' Young Scientist & Technology Expo 2026 was never just about bringing home a trophy. Defending a technical architecture in front of ISRO scientists requires moving past high-level pitches and proving that the underlying logic actually solves a systemic problem. For this expo, that problem was the modern attention economy, and the solution was a ruthless application of cognitive friction. Social algorithms are engineered to bypass human intent. They operate as infinitely scrolling slot machines, optimizing purely for time-on-screen. Relying on gentle screen-time reminders or easily dismissed UI overlays to fight these billion-dollar engagement engines is a failing strategy. We realized that true digital defense required aggressive, hardware-level intervention. That foundational pivot led to the development of Tethr . Rather than adding another layer of cloud abstraction, Tethr is built on a lightweight...