brain rot
n.n. the idea that spending too much time on low-quality, silly, or unimportant content (especially online) makes your mind weaker or less sharp. You might joke about having 'brain rot' after watching hours of goofy videos.
n. a perceived mental or intellectual decline resulting from the excessive consumption of low-quality or trivial online content. An informal, pejorative noun phrase.
I feel like all these short videos are giving me brain rot.
My screen time report is embarrassing; it’s five hours of pure brain rot from scrolling on social media.
Critics argue that the algorithmic push toward viral but shallow content accelerates a culture-wide brain rot, weakening our collective ability for deep, focused thought.