The Kids Are Not Alright
This might sound hyperbolic, but it highlights a real risk: children exposed to constant, shocking, or over the top content can become unfazed by violent things. When nothing seems surprising or concerning, how are they supposed to care about real problems in the future?
The sound is familiar before you even see it. Bright colors flash across the screen, quick cuts, and a looping sound that repeats just enough to get stuck in your head. For kids today, this is normal. Short videos, viral memes, and phrases like “six-seven” or “skibidi toilet” fill their screens, often starting when kids are still in elementary school, or even younger. Experts call this kind of content “Brain Rot”: media made to grab attention fast, repeat itself, and keep kids scrolling. Unlike older, story-based shows like Arthur, Wild Kratts, or programs on PBS, this content focuses more on speed, noise, and quick jokes than learning or reflection. Childhood used to be shaped by stories that taught empathy, problem-solving, and curiosity. Now, it is shaped by fast, flashy, and sometimes inappropriate content that targets kids using bright colors, familiar characters, and repeated sounds.
Parents and educators notice the effects almost immediately. People.com observed that children conditioned by fast-paced media often respond nonchalantly to slower, real-world activities. They are used to instant rewards, if it doesn’t flash, beep, or loop, it doesn’t hold their attention. Children accustomed to constant screen stimulation may struggle to focus on reading, drawing, or outdoor play. Interviews with children as young as seven show this fascination firsthand. My younger brother, Messiah, explained Skibidi Toilet, a popular brain rot character, describing the colors, sounds, and repeated phrases that make it “funny” and a “catchy song.” Even kids who can barely read or count can tell you everything about brain rot characters—their names, sounds, and jokes, showing how deeply this content sticks with them.Even toddlers, barely able to talk, are already swiping and scrolling on iPads or phones.
The kids are not alright.
Brain Rot is no longer just something kids watch, it is taking over games and social trends. On Roblox, children play Brain Rot themed games like Steal a Brain Rot, where gameplay revolves around collecting virtual Brain Rot characters, and kids often cry or argue when they lose them. YouTubers use Brain Rot language and characters to attract views, and the same phrases show up in toys, online stores, and everyday lingo kids repeat at school. A TikTok trend made this even worse when older kids told younger siblings they had a “gold Strawberry Elephant” in a game, or claimed they stole their sibling’s Strawberry Elephant, causing the younger child to beg and cry to get it back. These trends are made to target younger kids, using inside jokes, fake rewards, and exaggerated reactions to keep them emotionally hooked. YouTube and YouTube Shorts play a major role as well, constantly recommending similar Brain Rot videos once a child watches just one. This creates a cycle where kids are pushed deeper into fast, repetitive content designed to keep their attention, even if it means encouraging obsession, frustration, or emotional outbursts.
The kids are not alright.
Parents are responding in different ways to this phenomenon. Mr Noah has decided his own child will not get a phone until the age of 16, hoping to delay exposure to social media. Other parents, like Ms. Medina, plans to introduce devices in middle school, saying “we’ll start gradually in middle school under guidance.” These different approaches illustrate how adults can actively shape children's relationships with technology, helping them navigate a world where screens are everywhere.
The effect extends beyond entertainment. Teachers describe students who struggle with patience, sustaining focus, and creative thinking. Activities that require reflection, problem-solving or delayed gratification feel slow and less rewarding to children. My older sister, Heaven Peterson, a second grade teacher, notices this shift daily. She observes, “While trends like brain rot can bring kids together, they make lessons harder to teach in the classroom. Attention spans are lower, patience is harder to teach, and students struggle to focus on tasks that require thinking.”
The kids are not alright.
Even regionally popular content, like Italian Brain Rot, breaks cultural and language barriers, showing how fast, colorful media can appeal to children everywhere, no matter where they live or what language they speak. As screen time increases, outdoor play and free imagination decrease, leaving children with fewer chances to explore the real world or interact with others without a screen involved. This shift affects how children communicate and socialize. Heaven Peterson, a second-grade teacher, explains that this change shows up clearly in the classroom. “Repeating phrases from videos during class is what they consider talking to each other,” she says. “They don’t even realize it’s distracting because it feels normal to them.” Instead of having real conversations, many students rely on viral phrases and inside jokes from videos, replacing meaningful interaction with repeated internet language.
The kids are not alright.
This shift also affects children's understanding of humor, social cues, and norms. Many videos feature familiar characters doing inappropriate or exaggerated things, content deliberately designed to hook children through known faces while delivering chaotic entertainment. Unlike the shows of the past, that hid teachings in entertainment and made kids critically think about choices like in Mickey Mouse, where it had kids yelling at the tv as to what tool they should use, videos of today have no meaning or teachings behind the entertainment they give to kids now. Adults often say, “Kids are the future,” but as exposure to screen culture rises, worry grows. If children under nine spend their formative years immersed in content designed for quick stimulation, what will it mean for attention spans, social skills, and learning capacity?
The kids are not alright.
The more time children spend online, the greater the chance they encounter riskier content. Videos and apps are designed to learn what users like, so algorithms slowly push more extreme, bizarre, or inappropriate material to keep their attention. Even when children are not looking for this content, exposure can come from curiosity, shared links, or the system constantly recommending similar videos. This is where Brain Rot begins to escalate. Children who once laughed at characters like Strawberry Elephant or repeated harmless meme phrases may eventually be exposed to disturbing or harmful videos. Over time, constant exposure to loud, chaotic, or aggressive content can cause desensitization, making shocking behavior feel normal instead of concerning. Acts that once would have seemed confusing or upsetting start to feel expected or entertaining. This gradual shift is dangerous because children may lose their ability to recognize harmful behavior as wrong. It is a progression few parents anticipate, and it highlights the risks of unsupervised and excessive screen time.
There is also the danger, perhaps worse, that children might not even care about harmful behavior, or who end up longing to be the perpetrators of harm. For example, an NPR story reported the way excessive screen time pushed one child, Elliot, to engage with “accelerationist extremists” who wanted “total societal collapse.” This might sound hyperbolic, but it highlights a real risk: children exposed to constant, shocking, or over the top content can become unfazed by violent things. When nothing seems surprising or concerning, how are they supposed to care about real problems in the future? If kids grow up numb to chaos or harm, it could make it harder for them to make thoughtful decisions, help others, or even notice when something is wrong. The danger isn’t just extreme cases like Elliot, it’s a slow shift where harmful behavior stops shocking them, and that indifference could shake how they act in the world. It could literally change the world…for the worse.
However, moving through a world dominated by technology is not simple. Screens are everywhere, and removing children from them completely is unrealistic. Combating Brain Rot is not as easy as setting strict limits or constantly supervising kids. Parents and educators face the challenge of helping children navigate digital spaces responsibly, finding a balance between protection and teaching independence. This makes awareness, guidance, and structured interaction more important than total control.
Yet there is hope. Research on children and media use emphasizes that balance is key. Parenting and child development experts explain that structured media time paired with outdoor play, reading, and creative projects helps children stay engaged and build focus, curiosity, and self-regulation (Today’s Parent.) Teachers agree, noting that even small limits can make a difference. When parents put screen time back on, they can tell. Kids are calmer, they listen longer, and they’re more willing to try harder things.
The human impact is clear. Across homes and schools, childhood is shifting under the influence of fast, flashy media. Stories from children and teachers show that even small acts of care and guidance can make a meaningful difference. Brain Rot and occasional exposure to inappropriate content are widespread, yet attentive adults can help children navigate these challenges. By noticing, engaging, and providing structures, adults help children not only survive but thrive in a world that is faster, louder, and more chaotic than ever before.
This story is not about condemning technology. It is about children navigating a new landscape and adults stepping in to guide them. Interviews with children, alongside expert reporting sources, show that while children under nine may absorb flashy, repetitive content designed to entertain rather than educate, thoughtful attention, conversation, and presence help them develop curiosity, empathy, and focus. In a world dominated by Brain Rot, what children watch shapes their minds, but what adults notice shapes who they become.
The kids are not alright.