Everyone’s ‘Bricking’ Their Phones to Stop Scrolling

There was a time when finding out about a breakup meant someone had to actually tell you. Now, the news can land on Instagram before you've even had your morning coffee.

That’s what happened when a university “it” couple broke up and posted the news online. One woman spotted the announcement and headed to brunch with some old college friends, fully expecting the breakup to be the first thing everyone talked about. It wasn’t. Her friends hadn’t seen it. They couldn’t. Their phones were “Bricked.”

Apparently, the latest way to fight FOMO is to make yourself miss out on things. Brick is a $59 gadget designed to keep people from mindlessly reaching for their phones. It connects to an app, where users choose which apps they want blocked. Then they tap their phone against the small device and those apps disappear behind a digital wall. Getting them back requires another trip to the Brick. That’s the point.

The device is usually left somewhere at home, so anyone who suddenly decides they absolutely need to check Instagram while out has a problem. If the Brick is stuck to the refrigerator, for example, getting social media back means physically going to the refrigerator.

For people who have spent years carrying an endless stream of entertainment, messages and social updates around in their pockets, that little inconvenience can be surprisingly effective.

Brick launched in 2023, but the idea has taken off as more people try to pull themselves away from their screens. Other versions of the same trend include going back to “dumb phones” and deliberately choosing more analog ways to spend the day. And there’s a reason the struggle feels so familiar.

The Phone Habit Is Harder To Break Than It Looks

Smartphones have become so woven into everyday life that putting one down can feel less like taking a break and more like giving something up. Dr. Cort M. Dorn-Medeiros, a licensed professional counselor and addiction specialist, described smartphone dependence as an “uphill battle.” He said many people feel overwhelmed at the idea of giving up their phones because they have trouble imagining how they would navigate daily life without them.

The apps themselves aren’t exactly helping. Social media platforms are designed to keep people coming back, and the constant stream of new posts, notifications and updates can turn checking a phone into something people do almost automatically.

Dr. John Puls, a psychotherapist and addiction professional, said the urge to reach for a phone can become so routine that people don't always realize they're doing it. And cutting back can come with an adjustment period. People may feel restless, bored or as if time is moving more slowly. Some even experience “phantom” notifications — that familiar sensation of a phone vibrating when it never actually did. Puls said those feelings can continue for weeks while the nervous system settles down.

That sounds dramatic until you try taking away the thing that normally fills every spare second.

What Happens When the Phone Stops Filling the Silence

Using Brick starts with a choice: which apps to block. For most people, that means the social media apps that swallow the most time, along with a few games that fill a subway ride or a spare minute. Blocks can also be scheduled, so they kick in automatically during certain parts of the day, like the morning routine, the workday or the hour before bed.

The first few days can be rough. Habit doesn't disappear just because an app does. Reaching for the phone first thing in the morning is often automatic, and so is grabbing it during every little lull in the day. Except now the apps are blocked, and the Brick is sitting at home.

Without that automatic distraction, even boredom can feel uncomfortable. That's the adjustment period Puls described, and it doesn't last forever. Once the urge to scroll starts to fade, the time it used to fill opens up. Mornings can go to reading the news. A commute can become time to finish a book. Waiting for coffee can turn into a quick conversation with a coworker instead of a check of Instagram messages.

There can be a social upside, too. Being less plugged into what everyone else is doing online can make it easier to reach out directly to the people who actually matter. Evenings tend to take more work. All that extra time has to go somewhere, whether that's cooking, going to the gym or picking up an old hobby, like a guitar that's been gathering dust.

The Part of the Whole Experiment That Matters Most

Blocking an app doesn't magically make someone less attached to their phone. It just creates a little space where the habit used to be. Dorn-Medeiros said much of smartphone use is unintentional. People reach for their phones without really deciding to do it. A tool like Brick, he said, can put some intention back into the process.

That's the real goal. Social media doesn't have to disappear completely. It just shouldn't automatically turn into an hour-long disappearance down the internet rabbit hole.

And yes, there's a downside to all this intentional unplugging. Sometimes people really will miss something. Maybe even the breakup of a couple they haven't seen in years.

But people managed to survive gossip long before Instagram existed. If the news is important enough, someone will probably pass it along. There's always the grapevine.

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