GoKawiilCNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
The Brick differs from traditional screentime apps by providing a physical barrier between you and your phone. Jeffrey Hazelwood/Anna Gragert/CNET; Brick/GettyImages
As a wellness writer, I've run into a content conundrum: My job requires me to be online to stay up to date on current events and trends, but I also want to spend less time on my phone to protect my mental health. Despite doing this job for 12 years, I still haven't found a viable solution.
Perhaps the over 1 billion people who spent at least three hours daily scrolling social media in 2020 haven't either, especially considering that the pandemic years supercharged our scrolling and created poor digital hygiene habits that many of us haven't recovered from.
Though iPhone and in-app screentime limits tend not to work for me -- I find they're easy to disable with just a few taps -- I was eager to know more about the palm-sized device called the Brick that has gained popularity in the last few years. It's a $59 square magnet "powered by an NFC [near-field communication] chip embedded in the device," TJ Driver, the Brick's co-founder, tells CNET.
"Instead of relying on batteries or an external power source, it draws power directly from your smartphone's NFC reader when you tap it," he says. "That communicates with your Brick app to lock (or unlock) your selected apps, putting real friction between you and your screen time."
Emphasis on: You have to physically tap your phone on the Brick to activate or deactivate the lock, so you can't simply tap it away like you would a screentime alert or app on your phone.
To find out if the Brick is the key to cutting ties with doomscrolling, I spent several months tapping my phone on the surface of that unassuming gray square.
How to cement the Brick into your life
Your purchase of the Brick includes the physical Brick and access to the Brick app, no subscription necessary. Inside the box, there's a QR code that takes you to a webpage where you can download the app for iOS or Android.
... continue reading