What even is brain rot, and is it even a real thing? Brain rot has many different names: doom scrolling, digital overload, and reduced attention span. It’s not literally your brain physically rotting, but it’s viral internet slang for the mental decline that comes with consuming excessive amounts of trivial online content. While this may not be a physical pain, it does, in fact, harm the brain.
Brain rot has affected many, and continues to. The rise of brain rot reflects a phenomenon with significant negative consequences for individuals and society. A big factor is the normalized dependence on technology, which has caused fewer people to master certain skills, such as problem-solving, communication skills, creativity, and analytical thinking. Communication skills fade because passive scrolling replaces real conversation. Creativity shrinks under nonstop stimulation that leaves no space for original ideas, and productivity declines as focus and self-discipline deteriorate. While I could go into depth on all of these skills, I believe the point is proven that technology plays a part in creating brain rot. Just showing that when someone spends hours consuming simplified content, they become less comfortable with tasks that demand deeper reasoning. While it’s good we have tools to help improve the way of life, there needs to be a secure way to preserve these skills.
There have been several studies on the realism of brain rot. Recent information has been provided by NBC News on the topic: December 3rd, 2025, a woman named Angela Yang, a culture and trends reporter for NBC News, wrote the article titled “Is Brain Rot Real?”. While the article goes in-depth about the effects of straining of the brain when using devices for extreme periods of time, it also details what specific things may cause it. A key cause, according to the study, was short-form video. “A September review of 71 studies with a total of nearly 100,000 participants found that heavy consumption of short-form video was associated with poorer cognition, especially regarding attention spans and impulse control, based on a combination of behavioral tests and self-reported data,” said the NBC article. The review, published in Psychological Bulletin (a journal of the American Psychological Association), also found connections between heavy consumption of the videos, causing increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness.
The effects of brain rot become especially visible in schools, places that require long-term concentration, analysis, and disciplined thinking—including our very own Woodford County High School. This could cause students to slack off in work and lose the capability to stay focused, which can ultimately affect their way of learning. It could also cause more stress on teachers to provide more attention to students with so little time. Even parents may be affected when realizing their children could possibly be falling behind and not being able to adjust. This concern is not just affecting a few; this has become a national issue in schools, homes, companies, and jobs. Everyone can be affected by brain rot. Blaire Hicks, a teacher at WCHS who’s been teaching for over ten years, stated: “Not only in my years of teaching, but even when I was growing up, I was able to see the changes in technology and its usage. And as the years go on, I see the dependence on it now. Especially in my young students, the use of social media and the internet has made them less independent.” Hicks has witnessed the changes in the way of educating, and has firsthand seen the change in the way she has to teach her students to make it more accommodating for them.
Brain rot may be a funny thing to say, and may even sound bogus, but believe it’s a real thing, and affects people from all over every single day. So, be careful, and make sure not to surrender your daily needed skills to brain rot.
