‘Brain Rot’ has been named Oxford’s Word of the Year 2024 - and a lot of parents get it

Brain rot, technically two words, is described by Wikipedia, as “brain rot (or brainrot) refers to any internet content deemed to be of low quality or value, or the supposed negative psychological and cognitive effects caused by it, to excessive use of digital media, especially short-form entertainment, [and the effects of such use].”

Parents of teens and young people struggling with behavioral/mental health struggles are seeing their kids have difficulty with putting the screens down without a fight or charged reactions.

Teens, kids and young adults seem to be having more:
interrupted sleep,
difficulty with focus and attention,
forgetfulness,
executive function and school performance issues,
difficulty with language development,
social and emotional growth concerns,
obesity,
aggression,
anxiety, and
depression,
and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that too much screen time is likely contributing.

What parents need is better guidance that’s customized to their young person’s particular needs and circumstances. I see a lot of unhelpful strategies out there in the media, and a one-size-fits-all approach is only going to help a few of the parents in search of real solutions.

One of the most powerful strategies we’ve helped to implement is to talk to your teens, preteens and young adults about why it’s a good idea take breaks, and ask them if they will join you (or the whole family) in putting all your screens and devices aside, out of reach, for a little while each day, and see if that helps with mood, focus, etc.

Now, let me be clear; it may not be easy for any of you, at first. And yet, if you can manage to do it for a couple weeks, you may already begin to see the rewards. And then you can go from there.

In our groups of families, we see the power struggles, screaming sessions, meltdowns, upsets, etc when parents first join us and have tried to follow some of those ‘other kind of parenting tips’.

There can be hurt feelings, frustration, compulsive behaviors, and even resentment going on between them, and just like the effects of addiction, the more you/they may try to give up those screens, even for a little while, the more attached they may become... at first.

Be patient. Notice your own thoughts and feelings. Be nice.

Ironically (maybe) is that two words on Oxford’s short list of close runners-up were ‘demure’ and ‘lore’.