What’s up, my fellow Skibidi sigmas! Get ready to explore the rise of trends like mewing and what it means in terms of the changing social cues of recent generations. Similar to the inescapable nature of the “Fanum Tax”, we can’t go a day without witnessing the weirdest parts of social media culture integrated into everyday conversations.

Brain rot is low-value content on the internet that have become trends and are referenced by multitudes of viewers when socializing with others. It can also be used to describe someone (particularly younger people) who spends a lot of time mindlessly scrolling through social media and consuming low-value content.

Older generations think “brain rot” terms are nonsensical because of their origins, but they were made with a clear meaning in mind, just like the development of “normal” English terminology. Personally, I think a little brain rot is completely tolerable and even customary when talking to friends, as it adds a hint of humor to otherwise regular dialogue, especially when used ironically.

Moreover, brain rot is considered by many kids to be funny because, in essence, it is similar to older classic memes like “The duck walked up to the lemonade stand” or “I like trains,” which are all pretty absurd. If brain rot isn’t all that different from old memes, why do adults seem so alarmed? Well, an apparent reason for adults to be concerned about brain rot is its effects on kids’ mental health and function.

When “The duck walked up to the lemonade stand” was really trendy, kids never really spent their days constantly obsessing over it. Whether due to a lack of technology available or stricter parenting, children weren’t glued to their screens back then. The same can’t be said about recent generations, specifically Gen Alpha.

With kids spending way too much time on their devices and filling their brains with “dumb” content like brain rot through zombie scrolling, severe consequences in brain function are inevitable. According to a survey on Dovepress, a website that stores scientific and medical research, of 1,051 young adults, social media addiction has a significant negative association with executive functioning skills such as planning, organization, problem-solving, decision-making, and working memory.

While part of the blame for brain rot is on content creators who begin trends like “skibidi toilet” and use social media algorithms to promote it, parents should also be held accountable for allowing their kids to use their devices for so long. By allowing children to spend excessive amounts of time on their devices at an early age, it’s no wonder their social lives are filled with things they learn from the internet.

Besides that, the rules parents set for their kids have a major impact on their decisions in the future, which may lead to even more media consumption as they progress into high school and eventually adult life. Based on data from the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, teens now spend an average of eight hours a day on screens, two hours more than in 2015. Preteens (children aged 8 to 12 years) spend about 5 ½ hours daily on devices, up an hour from a decade earlier. That means that some young people spend half of their waking day in front of a screen. Aside from noticeable physical effects like diminished eyesight and trouble sleeping from spending too little time outside, brain rot and excess screen time generally negatively affect kids’ cognitive function and brain development.

If you’re spending over 3 hours on your phone per day, I recommend slowly tapering out of the dopamine addiction cycle by setting realistic screen time goals and meeting them. Try replacing time on your phone with something more productive and physically rewarding, like reading or going for a jog. As the generations ahead of us become more and more technology reliant, it is crucial to recognize that excessive screen time hurts kids mentally, in order to ensure that the mental and physical health of future kids are in good hands.

Where should the line be cut between brain rot and “ordinary” language? Should there even be a line? I believe that the decision is up to each individual and how they want others to view them. In many cases, however, brain rot terms should be limited to casual conversations and not used during more formal discussions with, say, teachers or elders.

In a world pivoting towards technology, brain rot will not only stay but weave itself even deeper into the fabric of dialogue. At the end of the day, whether you’re mewing like a sigma wolf or spamming Skibidi, just know that brain rot’s not going anywhere; stay woke, don’t get Fanum Taxed, but definitely touch some grass.