This $59 plastic square might actually cure your phone addiction 🪨

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We’re in 2025, and we have a problem. A big one. Our smartphones—these technological marvels that fit in our pockets—have become our greatest enemies. The average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds in 2020 to just 8 seconds today. Yes, you read that right: we now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish.

Digital wellbeing apps have multiplied in an attempt to solve this crisis. Apple has Screen Time, Android has Digital Wellbeing, and dozens of third-party apps promise to help us regain control. The catch? They’re all laughably easy to bypass. One quick tap on « Ignore Limit » and boom—you’re back in the infinite scroll vortex of TikTok or Instagram.

Enter Brick, a gadget that takes a radically different approach: physical friction. And against all odds, it actually works.

A $59 piece of plastic, really? 🤔

Let’s be honest: the idea sounds ridiculous. In 2025, as artificial intelligence revolutionizes our lives, the solution to our digital addiction is… a small 3D-printed plastic square? An object the size of a charger that you stick on your fridge with a magnet?

Yes. And the craziest part? It works.

Brick was created in 2023 by TJ Driver and Zach Nasgowitz, two recent college grads who were fed up with their own endless scrolling addiction. They identified the core problem: software solutions can be bypassed in seconds, while ditching your smartphone for a flip phone means giving up essential tools like GPS, payment apps, or your camera.

Their solution? A physical device that temporarily transforms your smartphone into a « dumb phone »—without forcing you to abandon the features you actually need.

How does it actually work? 📱

Brick’s concept is disarmingly simple. You start by downloading the free app (compatible with iOS 16.2+ and Android 12.0+) and buying the physical device for $59—no subscription, just a one-time purchase.

In the app, you create different « modes » based on your needs: Work, Family, Study, Nature, etc. For each mode, you choose either the apps you want to keep accessible (everything else gets blocked), or the apps you want to block (everything else stays accessible). You can block any app, even Safari or Messages if you want—only the Phone app always remains accessible.

© Brick

Once your modes are configured, simply tap your phone against the Brick (which uses NFC technology, like contactless payments) to activate the blocking. Instantly, all selected apps become inaccessible. If you try to open them, a screen reminds you: « This is a Distraction. Your phone is currently Bricked. To access this app, tap your Brick. »

The key to the system? You have to physically return to the Brick to unlock your phone. And it’s precisely this physical friction that makes all the difference.

The psychology of friction 🧠

A Carnegie Mellon professor, Ari Lightman, compared Brick to ignition interlock devices required for people convicted of drunk driving. Both rely on the same philosophy: creating a physical barrier strong enough to gradually break an addiction.

Unlike traditional blocking apps where the « Disable » button is just a thumb-tap away, Brick forces you to get up, walk across the room (or house, or even city if you left it elsewhere), and make a conscious decision. This friction transforms an automatic gesture into a deliberate choice.

One user recounts: « I caught myself reaching for my phone dozens of times a day without even realizing it. Brick’s message reminded me each time why I chose to ‘brick’ myself. That awareness was everything. »

Testimonials report screen time reductions between 25% and 50% on days when Brick is used. Some users talk about reclaiming 40 hours per month—the equivalent of a full work week.

Use cases that make the difference 🎯

What makes Brick truly interesting is its flexibility. Different people use it in completely different ways:

Professionals create a « Deep Work » mode that blocks all social media during their most productive hours. Some even put the Brick in a lockbox during intense work sessions to avoid any temptation to cheat.

Parents use Brick during family meals and at bedtime. One couple testifies: « My wife and I brick our phones before dinner. It’s become a ritual that really reconnects us. »

Hikers and nature lovers appreciate being able to keep their navigation apps, plant identification tools, or camera while eliminating social distractions when they’re outdoors.

Students create specific modes for study sessions, keeping only access to their educational apps and note-taking tools.

The app even lets you activate Brick mode without having the physical device handy (by pressing the in-app button for 5 seconds), but you’ll still need the physical Brick to unlock. Clever.

Strict mode and emergencies 🔒

Brick includes a « Strict Mode » that closes all loopholes: you can’t uninstall the app, you can’t modify settings to unbrick yourself. It’s the ultimate protection against yourself.

But what happens in a real emergency? Each Brick includes 5 « Emergency Unbricks » you can activate from the app to immediately regain access to all your apps. However, if you abuse this feature—constantly using it to bypass your own rules—the Brick can permanently disable itself. A final reminder that the tool is there to build better habits, not to punish you.

The Brick paradox 💭

There’s something deeply ironic—even dystopian—about having to pay $59 for a piece of plastic that stops us from using $1,000 devices. It’s the kind of situation that should make us reflect on our relationship with technology.

One user puts it this way: « My first instinct was to think this was all stupid. My solution for spending less time on my phone isn’t ‘touching grass’ or even setting a simple timer on my desk. It’s a $59 fridge magnet I discovered through an Instagram ad. Yet despite this sketchy origin story, Brick has become one of my best productivity tools. »

The device could just as easily be an app. Technically, nothing requires a physical object. But it’s precisely this materiality that makes the difference. Brick transforms an abstract problem (too much screen time) into a concrete solution (an object you physically have to retrieve).

The system’s limitations ⚠️

Brick isn’t a miracle solution. Some users find $59 expensive for what remains essentially a piece of plastic with an NFC chip. Other similar gadgets exist, like Unpluq, which offers more flexibility (different « distraction barriers » like shaking your phone or scanning a QR code) but with a subscription model.

And most importantly, Brick doesn’t solve the underlying problem: our unhealthy relationship with our devices. It’s a tool, a temporary band-aid. The real solution involves understanding why we compulsively scroll, rebuilding our attention capacity, and fundamentally rethinking our digital usage.

But as a first step toward that transformation? Brick does a remarkably good job.

What if the solution was… physical ? 🪨

In a world where everything is becoming immaterial, cloud-based, virtual, Brick reminds us of the power of the tangible. Sometimes, the best technology to solve a technological problem isn’t more technology, but a return to something simple and physical.

Brick doesn’t claim to revolutionize your life. It won’t transform you into a zen disconnected monk. But it does something more humble and perhaps more important: it creates just enough friction to let you regain control. To transform your intentions into actions. To make your smartphone, once again, a tool rather than a master.

The device is now available for $59, no subscription.

So the question isn’t really whether Brick is the perfect solution. The real question is: how much is your attention worth?

What about you—would you be willing to « brick » your phone? Or do you think we should be able to control ourselves without needing a $59 gadget? Share your experience with managing screen time in the comments!