“It’s very concerning”: 4 and 5-year-olds knowing what brainrot is has sparked a conversation about kids these days
A childhood education worker says that children as young as four are "tapped into the brainrot genre," sparking conversation about their internet access.
What is brainrot?
In a video, TikToker Halflifed (@halflifed) says she observes young kids at her work saying common brainrot phrases like, "What the Sigma?" "Amunga" and "Bruh."
"They know what brainrot means, what it is, and they can identify it," she says.
Brainrot isn't just Gen Alpha slang. Many of the phrases, such as "Skibidi Toilet," have no specific meaning. Instead, the phrases are spread on social media as an inside joke based on fringe memes and AI videos.
She says that kids' exposure to brainrot has a dark side.
"The weirdest thing is that these kids will watch the most terrifying AI videos," she says. "You think the boomers on Facebook watching AI cats cuddle is weird?"
@halflifed #brainrot ♬ original sound - halflifed
She says she has witnessed four-year-olds scroll on YouTube reels and watch "AI videos of babies being eaten by fire ants" or "Mario being pushed into traffic."
"It's so disturbing and off-putting," she says. "The kids are obsessed with that. It's very concerning."
Why are young children so obsessed with brainrot?
In the comments, viewers speculate why kids are so obsessed with brainrot that isn't age-appropriate.
"It is the biggest unethical unplanned experiment on a mass scale. Conspiracy people, like myself, think they are creating a new brainwashed generation," one TikTok commenter writes.
"As someone who has been to prison one time, it is striking the similarities between that experience and the one in which teachers describe having with toddlers. They use the exact same vernacular. Not similar. The same. I swear prison is ground zero for brain rot, and it spreads from there, but I have no proof and can’t really explain any better than that. Just thought it was worth noting," another shares.
Some suggest that parents should limit their children's unsupervised screen time to prevent lasting consequences.
"It’s sad bc a lot of parents aren’t on the internet much and have no clue how demented it is when kids just start swiping. YouTube reels are some of the worst," a user suggests.
"Why any kid would have access to a screen unattended is beyond me. Is it because their parents just want to stare at their phone too?" another asks.
Some think it's an overreaction
Others aren't as concerned about what the kids watch.
"When I was 8 in 2003, I was watching Happy Tree Friends and quoting End of the World endlessly, none of this is surprising," a commenter says.
"My youngest kids are 9 now and have known about brain rot and quoting memes since they have been in preschool, basically. It's a social thing," a parent writes.
"They’ll be fine. I grew up on Limewire and saw some REAL crazy ish," a third remarks.
The Daily Dot reached out to Halflifed for further comment.
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