At Middletown High School, students and teachers are beginning to notice the growing effects of what many online users call “brainrot.” While the term is often used jokingly on social media, interviews with students and staff at MHS suggest it may be having a real impact on focus, communication, motivation, and classroom behavior.
MHS teacher Noah Kady, who teaches Interactive Digital Media, explained that although slang and repetitive phrases have always existed, social media has made them more excessive and distracting. “Until recently, I’d never really heard of it called ‘brainrot’, but it does make sense, because there seems to be more of it than there ever was before,” he said. “You go back to when I was in high school, and there were phrases that people used excessively to the point where it became tiresome. But it does seem to be even more of a thing now.”
Kady explained that trends such as “67” are often meaningless but spread quickly because students find them entertaining. “It’s nonsensical, but it’s no harm,” he said. However, he added that the issue becomes more serious when it begins interfering with learning. “It’s when it becomes a distraction to the point of not being able to complete whatever task you’re given when it becomes a problem.”
MHS senior Mehki Smith, described brainrot as internet phrases and trends constantly repeated throughout the school day. “In a school setting, brainrot is stuff like ‘tungtungtung’ and saying ‘67’,” he said.
According to Smith, the trend has become a real classroom issue. “This is more of a real learning issue because kids keep saying it in the middle of class, watching videos on their phones and computers and listening to songs that distract them from learning.”
He also described how often the behavior happens in class. “My classmates will say ‘67’ and other random stuff in the middle of class,” Smith said. “I’m not into that stuff,” he said, “but it can affect people’s speech and can distract them.”
MHS guidance counselor Erin Phelps connected brainrot to larger concerns about attention span and mental exhaustion. “I have honestly never heard of the term brainrot, so I suppose that makes me old,” she said. “After some digging, the term makes complete sense. For several years, I have noticed students’ attention span has become shorter and they seem to experience high levels of mental exhaustion.”
She believes brainrot is more than just a trend. “I believe it is a real issue,” Phelps said. “I don’t see technological advancement coming to an end.”
Teachers at MHS say one of the biggest changes they have noticed is students’ shorter attention spans. Kady said that students today often struggle to stay focused for extended periods of time. “Students’ attention spans are good for about 15 to 30 seconds,” he said. According to him, many students instinctively return to their phones or another distraction after a short amount of time because they are used to constant stimulation from apps and videos.
Phelps also discussed how excessive scrolling and online content may affect information processing. “The brain can only do so much,” she said. “By all of the information it intakes from scrolling aimlessly, it is not able to bring in the volume of information needed to process simple tasks which in hand causes mental exhaustion.”
Smith described how distractions often continue during important classroom moments. “From what I’ve seen, they always start saying random things in class and not paying attention even during important times like tests one time,” he said. He also explained how quickly students encourage each other to continue the behavior. “They just won’t stop talking and will always say ‘67’ to start laughing and then they won’t stop,” he said.
Both staff members also discussed how brainrot has influenced communication and social interaction among students. Phelps said that “social interactions seem to have shifted among students,” with many conversations now revolving around trends seen online.
Kady added that teachers sometimes see internet humor becoming a distraction during lessons, but he believes it can occasionally help teachers connect with students. “Sometimes you can actually bond a little bit with students if you use it yourself,” he said.
Even without phones directly in students’ hands, distractions continue through school devices. Phelps noted that students constantly switch between tabs and apps on their Chromebooks during class. Smith agreed, saying trends spread rapidly because “whatever they see on their phones they have to show someone else. Then it begins a trend and then they can’t stop.”
Despite the concerns, both students and teachers acknowledged there may be some positive aspects to internet culture. Phelps suggested that trends can sometimes create “social bonding” and “increase creativity.” Smith also believes the trends will eventually fade, saying, “It will eventually go away but it takes time, a long time.”
When discussing solutions, Phelps suggested “limiting screen time in the classroom, more hands-on, real-life learning,” and reducing Chromebook usage when possible. Teachers and students agreed that finding a balance between technology and focus may help reduce the negative effects of brainrot in classrooms.
