Social Media Addiction Is Real, But These Phone Lock Boxes Can Help

In the evening, I want to block myself from the endless scroll of social media, and sometimes, I want to add dismal news sites to that list. I still want to be able to read an e-book, listen to a podcast, and text my sister, however. The Brick allows you to choose which apps to block, and even make a few different block lists based on your needs (one for “Deep Work” when you want nothing but the phone for emergency calls, another that just blocks the socials, etc). You can schedule when they’re blocked or manually start a block by tapping your phone to the Brick. Then, when it’s time to unlock, you’ll have to tap your phone to the device again.

I like the idea of this lock box because it’s aesthetically appealing, and it has room for three phones. This way, the whole family can have phone-free time. The box has three modes: Lockbox, which you can unlock by pressing the arrows in a set sequence; Standard Mode, where you set a timer for it to automatically unlock, but you can still also unlock it manually; and Fortress Mode, which only unlocks when the timer is up. (Heads up: If you really need to override Fortress Mode, you need to contact the company’s customer service via an online form, so that’s not going to be a quick process.)

It’s worth mentioning that this lock box isn’t just for phones. People also use it for other things they’re addicted to, including narcotics and cigarettes.