Listen Up, Doomscrollers: I Tried the ‘Phone Detox’ Device Going Viral - and Wow, It Works

Whether you’re a resolutions person or not, the end of a year has a way of prompting reflection. A mental stock-take, if you will: what’s working, what’s not, and what we might like to leave behind.

For me, 2025 has largely been a good one, but if there’s one habit I’d happily wave goodbye to, it’s my screen time. Between work, WhatsApp groups and social media, I rarely stop scrolling. I’ve become the person we all judge: phone in hand while eating, watching TV, and (shamefully) occasionally mid-conversation.

I’m far from alone. According to Ofcom, the average UK woman now spends 4.75 hours a day online outside of work, despite fewer than 30% of us believing being online is good for our mental health. And whilst I’ve tried screen time limits, app blockers and phone-free bedrooms, they tend to work only until muscle memory kicks in and I tap “ignore” on autopilot.

Like most of us, I can’t go off-grid (my job and social life rely on my phone), but something had to change. I don’t want digital abstinence, but I do want my attention span back.

Which is how I found myself testing Brick, a palm-sized app-blocking device that’s been all over my feed. And after a month of using it, I’m buying one for everyone I know. To find out how I got on (yes, this does require one last scroll), keep reading.

And for more healthy habits to kickstart your 2026, check out our beginner guides to brain dumping, meditation, finding your flow state and manifesting like a neuroscientist. Plus, if you’re looking for a healthier way to multitask, discover what happened when one writer started treadmill reading for a week.

This Tiny App-Blocking Device Did What My Willpower Couldn’t - And Now I Couldn’t Live Without It

What is the Brick app-blocking device?

The brainchild of two University of Wisconsin graduates, Brick arrived on the digital wellness scene in 2023 and has been making its way across our feeds ever since.

In short, it’s a small grey square that fits in the palm of your hand, designed to physically block distracting apps on your phone. Brick connects to a free app, where you choose exactly which apps you want to block when it’s activated. Think: social media during work hours, WhatsApp during dinner, or everything-but-Spotify when you’re exercising.

You can create multiple custom modes - deep work, family time, workouts - each with different apps blocked, depending on what you’re trying to protect your attention from (or for).

The key difference between Brick and other screen time solutions is that it isn’t just another app living on your phone. To activate it, you physically tap your phone against the Brick itself, at which point the selected apps are blocked. To undo it, you have to do the same thing again. The idea is that you leave the Brick in another room, meaning any override requires you to get up, walk over, and make a very conscious decision to unblock yourself.

“App blockers live on the same phone they’re trying to control, which makes them easy to bypass,” TJ Driver, Co-Founder of Brick, tells me. “You can’t use software to fight software. Brick puts you back in control by forcing a pause, giving you a moment to make an intentional choice.”

What are the benefits of reducing your screen time?

Ever feel like you can’t fully focus on anything because you’re always half-looking for the next distraction? According to clinical psychologist and performance consultant, Dr Matt Slavin, that’s your cue to step away from your screen.

“We call this state ‘continual partial attention,’ he says. “It might feel productive, but in fact it drains cognitive resources dramatically.”

Mindset coach and author of Prioritise This, Lily Silverton, agrees. “Our brains like newness, but our time and attention are limited resources. It’s our job in today’s distraction-filled world to curb that.”

This is why, when people reduce their screen time, Slavin says they often notice what he describes as a ‘cognitive exhale’. “Without the constant pull of devices, the nervous system is able to settle, and the mind begins to function in a more coherent, steady way,” he explains.

Professionally, that tends to show up as greater productivity and mental clarity. “Giving the brain the opportunity to enter deeper, more sustained periods of attention often translates to stronger output, clearer thinking and work that feels more satisfying and less effortful,” Slavin says.

And personally? “People report feeling calmer, more emotionally regulated and more present in their relationships,” Slavin adds. Silverton concurs, pointing to social media in particular. “On social media, we’re comparing our real lives to other people’s highlight lives, which often leads to comparison, which can impact our mental health and resilience,” she says. “The less we scroll, the more connected we can become to our own tastes and preferences, which improves mental health.”

“There’s also a sense of control and intentionality that comes with reducing your screen time,” Slavin adds. “Rather than feeling pulled around by your device, you’re giving your brain the cue that ‘all is safe’, and there’s no need for constant scanning and alertness.”

What do the experts think of app-blocking devices?

In a world full of gimmicks promising to fix our wellbeing overnight, I’m naturally wary of any new tech that claims to be the solution. But refreshingly, the experts are broadly on board with the concept of app-blocking devices.

“They can be surprisingly effective because they work with, rather than against, our evolutionary wiring” says Dr Slavin.

He explains that most of us don’t struggle with screen time because we lack willpower, but because dopamine-driven cues, like our smartphones, are uniquely compelling to the human brain. “We are not biologically designed to ignore something that looks socially relevant or potentially rewarding.”

So if you’ve ever felt frustrated with yourself for scrolling again, it’s worth remembering: this isn’t a personal failing. Our phones tap directly into survival mechanisms baked into how our brains are wired.

What app-blocking devices do well, Dr Slavin says, is introduce just enough friction to interrupt that automatic behaviour. “A small increase in friction, for example, needing to retrieve a device from another room, or physically locking it away, is often enough to disrupt the automatic habit loop,” he explains. “They create an environmental boundary which behavioural science consistently shows is one of the most reliable ways to change behaviour.”

According to Dr Slavin, devices like Brick tend to work particularly well for people who need periods of deep focus (arguably most of us), those prone to stress and burnout, and, perhaps most notably, teenagers. “During adolescence, our reward systems are particularly sensitised to digital input,” he explains.

Expert tips to manage your screentime:

The key to managing your screen time is to work with your brain, rather than against it, explains Dr Slavin, who shares his top tips for doing just that.

1. Create phone-free zones

“Our brains follow physical boundaries more easily than abstract rules,” Slavin says, which is why “establishing specific places or times of day where screens simply aren’t present” can make a huge difference to your temptation to scroll.

This is where devices like the Brick can be particularly effective, creating physical separation between you and your phone. But you don’t need one. Slavin suggests that simply rearranging your home screen can also help. “We call this reducing open loops,” he says. “Moving distracting apps off of your home screen removes the cue, which often eliminates the urge to scroll entirely.”

2. Create digital rhythms

“Our brain thrives on routine,” says Slavin, so “creating predictable rhythms around your digital use will help you to feel more settled.” One of his key suggestions? Batch your emails or social media scrolls into specific windows of the day, and try to avoid screens during the early morning and late evening.

”Protecting the first and last hour of the day from screens can make a dramatic difference to your emotional steadiness, as this is when your nervous system is most impressionable,” he explains.

3. Replace, rather than remove, your scroll

Studies show that it’s easier to break a habit when you replace it with something healthier, a tactic Slavin tells us is called habit substitution. This absolutely applies to screen time.

“If scrolling is how someone copes with stress, boredom, or transition, they usually need a regulating alternative,” he says. His suggestions? A short walk, a quick breathing exercise, or some gentle movement, all of which can replace the kick of dopamine we get from our devices.

I bricked my phone for a month - and my productivity soared

Weeks one and two

When I first tried the Brick device, I was mainly hoping it would help me get better at focusing on work. I’m guilty of constantly checking emails, hunting for anything new or exciting, which drags me away from the story I’m supposed to be writing. Then, of course, there’s the temptation of Instagram notifications or TikTok videos. So, my first move was setting up a “deep work” mode, blocking WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok.

And it really worked. In the first week, I noticed how often I reached for my phone when I got even a little bored or stuck in my writing. But the physical distance between my phone and me (I’d leave the Brick upstairs while I was downstairs working) made me stop in my tracks and rethink whether I needed to scroll. At first, I’d occasionally walk upstairs to override the block, but after about a week, I found I stopped reaching for my phone altogether.

Brick’s strict mode, which prevents you from disabling the permissions on the app, sounds like something that might be helpful, but honestly, I didn’t find I needed it. The physical separation alone was enough to do the trick for me.

By week two, I was sold on Brick’s power. I decided to test it out for something else I’ve struggled with: sleep. I’m terrible for scrolling when I can’t sleep, despite the fact that I’ve set screen time limits for TikTok after 9:30 pm and always try to put my phone on aeroplane mode overnight.

So, I decided to set up a “sleep mode” on the Brick, where I could still use my phone for Spotify sleep music, but couldn’t access any social media. My thoughts? Total game changer. Being able to play my white noise frequencies meant I slept way deeper, and when I woke up in the night, I wasn’t hijacked by my phone. For once, my brain actually stayed calm enough to go back to sleep.

Weeks three and four

By week three, I was so impressed with how well Brick had worked for my focus and sleep that I got mode-happy and started creating settings for other parts of my day. I set up specific modes for social time, like catching up with friends, watching TV, or even making dinner.

Slowly but surely, the urge to scroll started to fade across all areas of my life, and the relief was enormous. By the final week of the month, it had become second nature to “brick” my phone outside of designated scroll windows. It felt incredibly freeing not to be constantly tethered to my device.

Of course, there are exceptions, and sometimes you need to be flexible with your screen time. Over the month, there were a couple of occasions when I needed social media for work, like contacting an expert or finding a piece of research. For those moments, I had to break my Brick, but overall, I’ve found the balance to be manageable.

Looking back now, I can honestly say the experience has been revolutionary for me. Brick isn’t a magic wand, and how effective it is will ultimately depend on your own willpower.

But for me, it’s become my trusty sidekick, helping me reclaim my attention span. I can sit through an entire movie without reaching for my phone (revolutionary, I know), and I’m more present with the people I love. I’ve also noticed I get tasks done much faster. My brain feels clearer, less cluttered. I’m focusing on one thing at a time, and it feels like the mental chaos of constantly switching between apps has just melted away. And guess what? No one’s annoyed at me for being slower to reply to emails or texts… yet.

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