If you’ve walked into a room lately and heard your seven-year-old shout "6-7!" while doing a weird little shoulder-shrug dance, you’ve witnessed the 2026 version of a secret handshake.

In the Screenwise world, we call this Brainrot. It’s not a medical diagnosis; it’s a vibe. It refers to hyper-stimulating, often nonsensical, short-form content that feels like it’s "rotting" your brain because it moves so fast and means so little. Think Skibidi Toilet but evolved into even more abstract territory.

As parents, it’s easy to roll our eyes and wish they’d just watch Wild Kratts again. But here’s the thing: this isn’t just noise. It’s a new language of digital literacy. To them, being "in" on the meme is the ultimate social currency.

Let’s start with the big one. "6-7" (pronounced "six-seven") was officially Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year, which tells you exactly how inescapable it became.

The Origin: It started with a drill rap song called Doot Doot (6 7) by a rapper named Skrilla. The numbers likely refer to a street in Philadelphia or the height of NBA star LaMelo Ball. The Virality: A kid nicknamed the "67 Kid" went viral for shouting it at a basketball game with a specific palms-up hand gesture. The Meaning: Absolutely nothing.

Seriously. It’s a "definition-free cultural signal." Kids use it to say "I get it," to fill a silence, or to playfully annoy you. It’s the "Wassup!" of 2025, but with more shoulder shrugging.

Ask our chatbot why "6-7" is driving teachers crazy

If "6-7" is the handshake, Italian Brainrot is the fever dream. This trend features AI-generated animals and objects with fake Italian names, monotone voices, and bizarre storylines.

You might hear your kids mention:

These characters are often generated by AI tools and layered over "phonk" music (high-energy, distorted beats). While mostly harmless absurdism, some of these AI-generated tracks can occasionally feature crude or offensive lyrics because the AI doesn't always have a "filter" for cultural sensitivity.

The Screenwise Take: This is a perfect moment to talk about AI literacy. Ask your kid, "Do you think a person drew that shark, or a computer?" It’s a low-stakes way to help them realize that not everything they see on YouTube is created by a human with a soul (or a budget).

You’ve probably heard your kids say, "Only in Ohio," or call a messy room "so Ohio." Even though we’re well into 2026, this one has staying power. In Gen Alpha speak, Ohio is shorthand for anything weird, cringey, or "glitched." It has nothing to do with the actual state and everything to do with a long-running internet joke that Ohio is a dystopian wasteland where monsters live in the toilets.

Read our guide on the "Only in Ohio" meme

It’s tempting to ban the "brainrot" and go back to The Great British Baking Show. But these memes are actually an opportunity to build Critical Thinking Skills.

When your kid engages with a meme, they are practicing:

Instead of "Stop saying that," try:

While the humor is mostly nonsensical, the platforms where these memes live are the real concern.

If you need to reset their internal algorithm, try these shows that are actually good:

Meme culture moves at the speed of light. By the time you read this, "6-7" might be "so Ohio" (meaning dead/uncool). But the skill of navigating the weirdness is what matters.

Don't panic about the "brainrot." As long as they are still reading Percy Jackson, playing outside, and can hold a conversation that doesn't involve singing toilets, they’re doing just fine. They’re just digital natives speaking a dialect we didn't grow up with.

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