Now people are worried they may be missing out on the latest way to spend less time on their phones.
uncertain
they → worry → phones
You may have heard people talking about "bricking" their phones.
uncertain
people → hear → phones
Thankfully, they are not destroying them.
asserted
they → destroy → them
A $59 product called Brick is getting attention because it lets you temporarily block distracting apps and websites, creating a physical barrier between you and whatever keeps sucking you back into your screen.
asserted
whatever → call → screen
I understand the appeal.
asserted
I → understand → appeal
If you have ever picked up your phone to check one text and resurfaced 40 minutes later wondering why you were watching a stranger remodel a bathroom, you know how quickly a quick check can turn into a scroll.
asserted
check → pick → scroll
Still, my first reaction is this: before you buy another piece of technology to keep you away from technology, use the controls already sitting inside the phone you paid for.
asserted
you → buy → phone
Apple has expanded Screen Time in iOS 27.
asserted
Apple → expand → iOS
Android already has some useful Digital Wellbeing controls.
asserted
Android → have → controls
A few simple changes can also make distracting apps a little harder to reach and help break that automatic urge to grab your phone.
NEW!
asserted
apps → make → phone
Free CyberGuy LIVE class: Get Better Healthcare With AI, Saturday, September 26 at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT
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asserted
you → get → doctor
No technical experience is needed.
asserted
experience → need → ?
More than half of Americans think they spend too much time on their phones
This trend is tapping into something much bigger than one gadget.
asserted
trend → think → gadget
Pew Research Center surveyed 9,750 U.S. adults from May 26 through June 1, 2026.
uncertain
Center → survey → June
It found 53% say they spend too much time on their smartphone.
asserted
they → find → smartphone
Among adults ages 18 to 29, that jumps to 70%.
asserted
that → jump → %
It stands at 64% among adults ages 30 to 49, then drops to 49% among people 50 to 64 and 25% among those 65 and older.
asserted
It → stand → those
Here is another number that grabbed me: 26% of U.S. adults say they use their smartphone almost constantly.
asserted
they → grab → smartphone
Among adults under 30, that rises to 42%.
asserted
that → rise → %
A third of adults ages 30 to 49 say the same.
asserted
third → say → same
Phones help us navigate, communicate and get an incredible amount done.
asserted
amount → help → ?
I certainly would not want to give mine up.
asserted
I → want → mine
The problem begins when useful turns into automatic and you find yourself opening the same app without even remembering why you picked up the phone.
asserted
you → begin → phone
Plenty of people are trying to cut back
Awareness is already turning into action.
asserted
Awareness → try → action
Pew found 45% of U.S. adults tried to cut back on smartphone use during the previous 12 months.
asserted
% → find → months
Among adults under 50, the figure reaches 58%.
asserted
figure → reach → %
Yet among people who tried cutting back, only a quarter said they were extremely or very successful.
asserted
they → try → people
That gap tells you a lot.
asserted
gap → tell → lot
Knowing you want to use your phone less and actually putting it down are two different things.
asserted
you → know → it
The problem with willpower is that your phone is always right there, and the apps fighting for your attention are only a tap away.
asserted
apps → fight → attention
Teens are noticing the pull too.
asserted
Teens → notice → pull
Pew found 45% of teens say they spend too much time on social media.
asserted
they → find → media
Forty-four percent say they have cut back on social media use, and an identical share say they have cut back on smartphone use.
asserted
they → say → use
Your phone may also be stealing sleep
uncertain
phone → steal → sleep
The effects can follow you right into bed.
asserted
effects → follow → bed
Pew found 62% of adults under 30 say their smartphone hurts the amount of sleep they get.
asserted
they → find → sleep
Across U.S. adults overall, 41% say their phone hurts their sleep while only 5% say it helps.
asserted
it → say → sleep
I suspect plenty of us know how that happens.
asserted
that → suspect → us
The phone goes on the nightstand.
asserted
phone → go → nightstand
You check one last thing, then another notification arrives.
asserted
notification → check → thing
…and 97 more, not listed.
The Aporia
