As the new year began, I knew I needed to make some major changes in my life. My phone had taken over, and I was constantly glued to the screen. My screen time had skyrocketed, and I found myself mindlessly scrolling through social media and news feeds before I was even fully awake in the morning. I knew I needed to break this cycle, and that’s when I discovered the Brick.
The Brick has quickly become the go-to app for people looking to reset their relationship with their phone. “Bricking” has become a verb, used by people to announce their decision to log off and disconnect. I first learned about “bricking” and “unbricking” through the loud declarations of other writers and influencers. At first, I was skeptical about whether a $50 app blocker could really make a difference. But after trying free methods like deleting social media apps and using features like Apple’s Screen Time or Android Digital Wellbeing, I realized they were easy to bypass and weren’t effective in curbing my phone usage.
The Brick is a small square device that pairs with an app on your phone through a QR code. Once connected, you can select which apps you want to block and for what hours of the day. Then comes the real test – tapping the physical Brick device with your phone to activate its app-blocking features. If you want to regain access to your blocked apps, you’ll need to touch the Brick again.
I was surprised by how difficult it was to leave the house with a bricked phone. I even hesitated to use it at first because of this anxiety, but it only strengthened my determination to go through with this experiment. After a day of excessive scrolling, I put my Brick on my fridge, and now I have to physically get up and walk to the fridge if I want to access my blocked apps.
After over a month of using the Brick, I can confidently say that my brain feels different. I expected the strict enforcement of the Brick to change my habits, but I was surprised by just how much it did. The Brick is available for both iOS and Android and offers modes for “deep work” and “family time” hours, automatically blocking apps during these designated times. It also keeps track of how many hours you’ve been bricked each day, presumably to encourage you to stay strong and go longer without unbricking.
One of the things I love about the Brick is that it challenges my belief that real-time social media feedback is necessary to stay connected with friends or be successful in my job. The app gives you five “emergency” unbricking options if you really need to access a blocked app, but I have yet to use one. The thought of using an “emergency” unbricking option just to post an Instagram story about a party made me realize how much time I was wasting on my phone.
The Brick has also made me more aware of my habits. The first week I used it, I was embarrassed by how often my fingers automatically tapped on the social media apps that were blocked. The Brick gently scolds you when you try to access a blocked app, and it’s a reminder to be more mindful of how I spend my time on my phone.
The Brick may be a wonderful device, but it’s not a long-term solution on its own. Catherine Pearlman, a licensed clinical social worker and author of “First Phone: A Child’s Guide to Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette,” agrees that the Brick is a great tool, but it can’t be the only solution to excessive phone usage. “Once you’re home where your Brick is, the impulse still exists,” she says. “It doesn’t actually teach you how to work through that impulse and ask yourself, ‘How do I really want to spend my time? How do I work through this emotion that I’m trying to avoid by scrolling?'” Answering these questions is a personal journey that only you can embark on. For Pearlman, it meant finding other ways to use her screen-free time, like reading books on her Kindle.
The Brick may be a bit pricey at $59 for one device, but it can be shared among multiple people, making it more affordable. And once you buy it, there are no subscription fees, unlike many other apps. However, the Brick alone won’t transform you completely. If you want to take it a step further and block social media on your computer as well, Pearl