Social media’s influence over the modern world continues to grow and expand. The addition of short-form content to many of the biggest platforms —YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, among others—has had its fair share of effects on Gen Alpha. 

A word that has been tossed around a lot recently is brainrot; it even won Oxford’s 2024 Word of the Year award. Although it is such a popular term online, there doesn’t seem to be a clear consensus on what the term means.

“If it’s nothing of substance,” Chase Jones, a Sophomore at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, said, “that’s brain rot. Like, bright colors and things are moving, but nothing’s happening.” The eye candy that is a staple of brainrot is one of the many things that makes it so popular among children.

Both brainrot and short form content are engineered to be addictive. “You can just scroll,” Jones said. “There’s not a lot to it.” The ease of access combined with the addictive nature leads to potential consequences for kids in school.

“You can only imagine what that does to how long you’re paying attention to speakers,” Jones said, “or your teacher, or even, your schoolwork.” Brainrot is becoming a bigger problem each and every day. According to the CDC, more than half of teenagers in the U.S. spend 4 hours or more per day online, and 96% of teens use social media daily according to a Pew Research study. As social media continues to grow, so will the problems that come with it. “We’re always chasing things that can satisfy us quicker and more efficiently,” Jones said. “We’re always gonna find something to gratify us faster until we understand that there’s a problem there.”