Just what is brain rot, you might ask?
AKA when being chronically online bleeds into real life.
Some things used to be for the Internet’s eyes and ears only.
Verywell Mind / Getty Images
Not now, though.
What Is Brainrot?
Wait, what is brainrot again?
Funny and self-deprecating, but also truthful.
Brainrot Behaviors
Doomscrooling and consuming negative news from social media are a few brainrot behaviors.
So is talking about memes and excessively using Internet slang.
Julia Kogan, PsyD, a health psychologist with a background in neuropsychology.
Whos Most Likely Affected by Brainrot?
We all have brainrotted.
It’s hard not to when so much of our daily lives revolve around our phones.
Experiences like your first crush or making friends at school.
Part of this developmental process should be filled with heaps of awkwardness and vulnerability, which requires in-person interactions.
The replacement of in-person interactions for social media hasincreased rates of lonelinessdue to isolation, says Dr. Kogan.
Excessive social media use can give a false sense of connection without actual benefits.
All of which can make people feel lonelier and more isolated, putting them at greater risk of depression.
Joel Gator Warsh, a board-certified pediatrician.
All of which can increase the risk of disordered eating, poor body image, and negative self-evaluation.
Heck, most of the adults I know struggle to stay mentally afloat with these online realities.
Ain’t that the truth?
Potentially Lead to Addiction
You might not think social media is addicting but it sort of is.
Social media is designed to trigger the brains reward center.
But there are ways to minimize it for you or your kids.
Delay Smartphone Use For Children
Harwood recommends parentsdelay smartphone usefor their children.
Parents should only give teens aged 16 and older a smartphone.
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and expert on the effects of social media use on adolescents.
Designate machine-free zones and times like dinner time or family movie night.
Model Good Behavior
Its not only children who struggle to stay offlinewe all do.
Warsh adds that children tend to follow what their parents or adults do.
Model a balanced screen time in your own routine and younger ones will notice and mimick your behavior.
And less social media is really what we need right now.
As the kids say, we all should go touch some grass.
