Think Twice: Do I Really Need a Physical Barrier Between Me and My Phone?

Why I am Contemplating Purchasing the Brick

By Katherine Markello

Photo by Gretchen Barnard

The folder on my homescreen that contains all of my social media apps is titled “Think Twice,” and has been for as long as I can remember. I cannot, however, remember the last time I actually thought twice before plunging into the social media world we are all so intimately familiar with today. 

A recent report by Eyesafe projects that someone born today will spend 21 years of their life on screens–more than a quarter of the average lifespan.

We are starting to recognize that this is a problem, with 49% of all Americans and 69% of Gen Z admitting that they are addicted to their phones, according to a survey by Harmony Healthcare IT. 

It is hard not to be, when so much of daily life runs through our devices. I cannot tell you how many times I have picked up my phone for one reason and, 15 minutes later, found myself 30 TikToks deep into my “For You Page”, the task forgotten entirely. 

It is for this reason that TJ Driver and Zach Nasgowitz, two recent college graduates, created the Brick.  

The Brick is a small physical device that blocks selected apps when you tap your phone to it. To get them back, you have to return to the device–no “ignore limit” option, just five emergency overrides. The physical barrier is what sets it apart from other screentime blockers: it forces you to think twice before slipping back into mindless scrolling. 

It even allows you to create different modes, such as work or family time, use one Brick with multiple phones, and schedule bricking to match your routine. Customers are calling their Bricks “life-changing” and a “must-have.”

I must have had the Brick in my cart for weeks. I cannot bring myself to purchase it. I seem to be unable to admit to myself that I lack the self-control to take matters into my own hands. I wonder how we reached the point of needing a physical barrier between us and our phones. But if that physical barrier will help me reach the end of my life without regretting years lost to a screen, it feels worth it. 

I think I am finally ready to start thinking twice about how I let my phone rule my time, habits, and life. Even if you are not running to purchase the Brick, I hope this made you think twice, too.