Jan. 21 2026 | Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
Brain rot has changed a whole dang lot since Generation Z was in elementary and middle school. Once, we had CGI-animated videos of frogs riding invisible motorcycles and dancing gummy bears. We had unicorns talking about magical Liopleurodons who wanted their friend Charlie to go to the candy mountain. Hell, we even had a song about liking trains and a talking muffin.
Generation Alpha’s brain rot? Well, it almost, quite literally, rots their brain.
Between AI-generated creatures with Italian names and Skibidi Toilet, I fear for Gen Alpha’s future. In the education clinical program, I see this literal brain rotting firsthand with my fourth and fifth-graders.
When comparing the brain rot trends of the two different generations, there’s a distinct difference. Gen Z typically has longer videos with more simplistic design elements — Charlie the Unicorn and asdfmovies fit within this — that keep the attention for longer. They have quick punchlines that are utterly ridiculous, which they use to keep viewers engaged with the content.
Meanwhile, Gen Alpha’s brain rot is, well, concerning is a gentle word I’d use for it. A smiling head coming out of a toilet singing “skibidi-bop-bop.” An AI-generated image of a ballerina with a cappuccino for a head, named “Ballerina Capuchina.” They’re attention-grabbing and short, meant to keep viewers scrolling through the videos for hours.
This difference — longer videos versus shorter videos — affects the midbrain, which is the center that creates dopamine, and deals with gratification and rewards. When someone watches a short video, their dopamine levels spike with instant gratification. The center lights up again when they scroll to the next video. It’s the same science with Instagram Reels, TikToks and YouTube Shorts.
This instant gratification affects a developing brain much differently than an already-developed brain. Many adults can easily make a change to fix their attention span and how quickly their brain receives this dopamine.
In children? This can be catastrophic. They crave the instant reward that their brain gives them when they scroll to another video, which affects their attention span. An affected attention span means they are less likely to focus on activities that do not provide an immediate reward — for example, when their teacher is trying to teach them a lesson — and they tend to seek similar stimuli. Eventually, this continuous exposure will lead to hindered cognitive development and limited critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Children will be conditioned to absorb information quickly but superficially.
There is hope for Gen Alpha’s future however. Teachers are actively trying to limit daily exposure to technology. Parents are seeing the consequences of technology on developing brains. It’s not much, but it’s a start. One that will continue to change the course of these children’s lives.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
