USA TODAY reporter “bricks” his cell phone. Please check if it was helpful.
USA TODAY’s Greta Cross tested Brick, a device that limits screen time by blocking access to selected apps on your smartphone.
Screen time. It unites and divides us, but more and more people want to distance themselves from it.
Several apps and devices have entered the market in recent years that promote a phone-free, or at least phone-free, lifestyle. One that has received widespread attention is Brick, which connects wirelessly to smartphones and blocks users’ selected apps and websites for a set period of time. Unlike easily circumvented smartphone screen time limits, bricks provide a physical hard stop to digital overconsumption.
I usually think I have control over my screen time, but like many of my Gen Z peers, I’m interested in uncoupling myself from screens. I too have been receiving targeted brick ads for months. So, like I, a consumer, I bought a trial brick ad for two weeks straight to see if intentionally limiting my screen time would make me feel better.
So is the Brick hype worth it? Here are some insights into how the device works and my experience with “bricking”.
What is a brick and how does it work?
Brick is a device that connects wirelessly to your smartphone. When combined with the free Brick mobile app, users can “brick” or block apps and websites by enabling Brick sessions in the app and then tapping their phone to Brick. Apps and websites can only be accessed again if the user opens the Brick app and taps the phone again on the small gray box.
Brick uses NFC (near field communication), a short-form wireless technology similar to Apple Pay.
If the brick is lost or misplaced, users will be provided with five “emergency unbricks” to regain full access to their phone without the physical brick.
What was it like to “brick” my phone for two weeks?
Since we often don’t have social media apps (other than LinkedIn) on our phones, our screen time waxes and wanes. All I do then is download Instagram, but even when I’m watching TV or lying in bed, I find myself glued to my phone.
As of April 10, the average daily screen time for that week was about 4 hours and 40 minutes, with Messages and Instagram seeing the most activity.
I find I have the most success with Brick in the evening and early morning. Before going to bed, I placed the brick in the living room, tapped my phone to start a brick session, and went to bed, but I had no access to the usual doomscrolling apps or email. When I woke up, I didn’t feel like checking the app. Because…I couldn’t.
The longest time I broke my phone was about 14 hours on Saturday. It was a busy day with friends, so I probably wouldn’t have been on my phone much anyway, but it was nice to remove the ability to quickly scroll through Instagram during the downtime.
However, I think Brick felt a little pointless during work hours.
At work, I find myself on my desktop scouring social media for story ideas. While Instagram and LinkedIn may have been “blocked” on my phone during this experiment, I could easily access the sites on my computer. Admittedly, Instagram scrolling isn’t quite as satisfying on desktop, but the option was there. For maximum effect, you need a brick that connects to your phone and computer to defeat all temptations.
To learn more about my experience “bricking,” watch the video at the top of the story.
Is it really worth $60?
I’m someone who already feels decent about screen time on my phone, but I don’t think Brick is worth the $60 price tag.
Most of the time I’m worried that I’ve become a victim of a system where bricks thrive. You spend too much time on social media, the algorithm learns that you don’t want to be on social media, the algorithm shows you targeted ads looking for a way to stay off social media, and the consumer buys a way to stay off social media. Is this where we ended up? Should I buy $60 technology to avoid $1,000+ technology?
Perhaps more than anything else, this brick made me think critically about the consumerist cycle of screen time we live in.
What do others think about Brick?
The consensus on Brick is positive. The Brick mobile app has over 33,000 reviews and boasts a 4.9-star rating on the Apple App Store.
USA TODAY video producer Niki Gunter has been using Brick since October 2025 and said it has “really changed” the way she uses her phone. She often uses Brick to block Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and Facebook at night after the kids are asleep. On average, her phone is “broken” for about 12 hours a day. The longest she used her phone for a complete social media detox was 12 days.
“Especially with my daughter, not telling her to put down her phone for months helped her stay focused,” Gunter said. “[My daughter]knows that too. When she asks me for some YouTube time, I can now say, ‘Sorry, my phone broke.'”
Is there a free brick alternative?
It’s hard to initially come across criticisms of Brick when searching the Internet, but for those who have tried the device and were unsatisfied, the caveats have remained largely the same. That means there are cheaper (or free) alternatives.
On r/dumphone, a sub-Reddit dedicated to discussing disconnecting from smartphones, some users recommended free mobile apps such as Freedom, ScreenZen, and No Scroll. These apps also allow users to set app-specific blocks and time limits.
“I think many of these products are outside the realm of ‘good intentions’ and are just being opportunistic in response to the growing trend of spending less time online,” one Reddit user commented in the group. “The best treatment is to delete all apps and try to change your habits.”
Where can I buy bricks?
The Brick is available exclusively on the Brick website: getbrick.com/products/the-brick. One Brick typically costs $60, but sales are often offered.
Contributor: Niki Gunter, USA TODAY
Greta Cross is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Story ideas? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
