Brain rot

18 April 2026

Do your kids have brain rot?

Do you?

Neurobiologist Dr Keren Grafen explains how digital technology is contributing to ‘brain rot’ and why our kids are particularly affected.

Grafen describes ‘brain rot’ as ‘a decay of neural structures triggered by excessive, algorithmically controlled digital stimuli.’ Digital technology, in other words. While it sounds alarming, she says, ‘it describes with frightening precision what I see every day in my practice’.

Why are children developing ‘brain rot’ from their use of digital devices?

One reason, Grafen says, is that they’re missing out on the physical experiences that are essential for the development of the brain. She explains that 80% of humans’ 86 billion brain cells (neurons) are responsible for motor skills – ie movement.

‘Children who sit in front of digital devices for long periods of time and have little motor activity do not use this predominant proportion of motor neurons,’ she said. ‘As a result, much of their neural potential is wasted, which not only limits their motor skills but can also have negative effects on executive functions, learning ability, and emotional regulation.’

According to Grafen, three learning mechanism take place in the brain’s hippocampus – and all of them suffer from the flood of intense sensory input the brain receives from digital devices. ‘The result: the system overloads itself. Network stability declines, learning and memory performance deteriorate, and the ability to process information and learn is weakened.’

‘For our children, the constant sensory overload from digital media is like a neurobiological barrage, a form of “digital cocaine”, Grafen says. ‘Every click, every new image, every like releases small dopamine kicks – the reward system is constantly on high alert. The hippocampus works incessantly, the prefrontal cortex is under constant stress.

‘The brain learns to respond only to quick clicks – instead of deeprooted, sustainable learning. Concentration, patience, long-term goal pursuit – all of these are weakened. Emotions and motivation become increasingly disconnected from cognition and reflection.’

In short, the overstimulation she describes leads to brains that are ‘addicted to novelty but lacking in depth.’

Grafen believes that we must all be involved in changing the situation.

‘There is no plan B,’ she says. ‘There is only this one childhood. Let us protect it. Because what we preserve today determines who our children will be tomorrow.’

Dr Keren Grafen, Effects of a digitalized childhood on the cognitive and emotional maturation of the brain, European Society for Clinical Environmental Medicine (EGKU), 23rd Annual Conference on Environmental Medicine, Berlin, November 7 – 8, 2025, https://www.diagnose-funk.org/aktuelles/artikel-archiv/detail&newsid=2323