Brain Rot
Negative effects from excessive Internet content
Example
I'm worried about Tony's brain rot. He's watched 7 straight hours of YouTube
I know what you mean, Auggie was trying to jump off the roof with a bed sheet cause he saw it on TikTok
Brain rot definition by Slang.net
This page explains what the slang term "Brain rot" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slang.net team.
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Brain rot (or "brainrot") is the deterioration of a person's mental state caused by the low-quality Internet content they consume. For example, people who are online all the time and suffering from brain rot may struggle with spelling and grammar, use indecipherable Internet slang, do stupid things for viral clout, and believe crazy conspiracy theories.
Most people associate brain rot with Gen Alpha and Gen Zers since they are the first generations to be heavily influenced by Internet culture. For example, Alphas became enamored with the nonsensical skibidi term from the Skibidi Toilet YouTube Shorts series (leading to "Skibidi Toilet Syndrome"), which led to countless mind-numbing memes.
Origin of brain rot
The origins of "brain rot" are unclear. Some sources claim you can trace its origins back to Henry David Thoreau's 1854 book Walden where he criticized the decline in intellectual competency. The modern usage gained popularity among social media critics in the late 2000s and 2010s. Then, it went viral in December 2024 when it was named the "Oxford Word of the Year" to describe the adverse effects of unhealthy online culture.