Brick Gadget helped reduce my phone’s screen time, Break Tiktok Habit

• I recently tried Brick, a $ 59 gadget designed to help reduce the screen time on the phone.
• It acts as a physical key. You cannot unlock the chosen applications by pressing your phone on the brick device.
• I started using Brick in January, and it has already helped break my habit of Tiktok.

I am unfortunately among the millions of people who have become addicted to Tiktok, losing countless hours of productivity to 30 seconds of soup recipes that I have not yet manufactured, culture products that I have Not yet bought, and Gua sha tutorials that I will probably never try.

Tired of spending my wild and precious life to watch a screen, I decided to make a change in 2025. And thanks to Brick, a $ 59 gadget designed to block telephone applications, I have actually been followed year resolution.

A physical key to becoming without distraction

While my weekly report on screen time has become more and more alarming last year, I tried to retaliate by fixing an hour’s daily limit for Instagram and Tiktok on my iPhone. But when I realized that the limit could be bypassed by clicking on a button, the software was quickly rendered completely useless.

This same struggle is what has led recent university graduates TJ Driver and Zach Nasgowitz to create brick, which allows you to temporarily block the chosen applications and their notifications via a physical device which is in the form of a 2 inch 3D printed by 2 inches per 2 inch square magnet. You can always access the applications you need throughout the day – like texts, photos or Google cards – but Brick makes it more difficult to give in to the temptation of a quick dopamine on social networks.

“With other solutions, the” key “that reassembles distractions is always present,” explains the brick website. “Brick allows you to leave this key behind, transforming your phone into a new device without distraction to your back.”

How does brick work?

The brick configuration could not be simpler. After downloading the corresponding application and created a brick account with my email, I activated my brick by pressing the top of my phone on the light square. A single brick can be used with several iPhones – unlike your Netflix account, there is no limit – so my boyfriend has also been able to connect his iPhone (Brick is not currently available for Android users ).

I was then invited to allow access to the brick, which gives it the opportunity to block and unlock applications on iPhones, and to create my first “fashion”. You can create different modes to block different applications. I made a title “Get to work!” And chose to block Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and X.

You can activate these modes via the application or by physically pressing your phone on the square. But you can only deactivate the block by typing your phone against the brick.

A rapid change in habits

The first day I used Brick, I was forced to reconcile with the way I would be addicted to social media. I surprised myself unconsciously to take my phone several times per hour to check Instagram or Tiktok. It was a major awakening.

So I became a diligent to type my phone with a little brick every morning, leaving room in my boyfriend’s office for five to seven hours a day, so I would not be tempted. The effect was almost immediate.

After using Brick for a little over a month, my weekly screen report was never better. I barely pick up my phone during working hours and I feel much less drained after each day, without a doubt thanks in part to calm the constant flow of notifications. It already seems that my brain is starting to recycle. Even when I don’t use a brick on weekends, I check less Tiktok and Instagram.

I still have a lot of work to do when it comes to undressing my social media, but Brick definitely helps.

Who knows, maybe now I’m finally going to make one of these soup recipes.