Unlock the screen and

Clean the screen

Wipe the screen with a soft microfiber cloth.

Remove any screen protector if it's damaged or lifting.

Force restart

Hold the Sleep/Wake (Power) button and the Home button together.

Keep holding for about 10–15 seconds until the Apple logo appears.

Test the touchscreen

After it restarts, try sliding to unlock again.

If no part of the screen responds, the touchscreen (digitizer) may have failed.

Restore the iPod (if the touchscreen works enough to trust the computer)

Connect it to a computer with iTunes (or Apple Devices on Windows).

Put it into Recovery Mode:

Hold Power + Home until it turns off.

Keep holding Home while connecting the USB cable until the recovery screen appears.

Restore the device.

If it still won't slide

The most common cause on a 1st-generation iPod touch is a faulty digitizer (touchscreen layer) or a loose internal connector. The LCD may display normally, but touch input doesn't work. Replacing the front digitizer assembly usually. fixes the issue