Health
What is ‘brain rot’? The science behind what too much scrolling does to our brains
Oxford University Press has chosen “brain rot” as its word of the year.
The word is defined as “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.”
Some experts believe that constant, endless scrolling of social media and other online content is doing exactly that – rotting our brains.
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Behavioral neuroscientist Dr. Kyra Bobinet, author of “Unstoppable Brain,” told Fox News Digital that there is a growing awareness of brain rot and its consequences.
Oxford University Press choosing “brain rot” as the word of the year is “pinpointing the issues,” according to one expert. (iStock)
“It’s in the zeitgeist that people have difficulty with their attention span. They feel brain foggy, they [have] less concentration … They can’t do deep work,” said California-based Bobinet.
“And then there’s also this epidemic of loneliness that has been kind of sitting on the heels of this, because we can’t really focus on anything, including relationship-building.”
Stuck in a scroll
A certain part of the brain, called the habenula, is responsible for getting stuck in endless scrolling, according to Bobinet.
The habenula is a central part of the brain that’s involved in various important functions, including motivation and decision-making. But when activated, this area can also “kill our motivation to try,” she noted.
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“It’s the heart of when you know you should be doing something, and you do this other thing instead, like ‘doom-scrolling,’” she said.
“This is the area of our brain that when it’s on, we feel depressed. We feel out of control, we feel impulsive, we feel addicted,” one neurologist said about the habenula. (iStock)
Scrolling on social media is also a way to “disassociate” and give the brain a rest after a long day, Bobinet said. This is an “avoidance behavior,” which the habenula controls.
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“Anytime you’re avoiding something, you know this area of the brain is on,” she said.
This is how social media addictions can form, Bobinet warned, as this part of the brain can make it “very painful” to stop scrolling.
“There’s this epidemic of loneliness that has been kind of sitting on the heels of this, because we can’t really focus on anything, including relationship-building,” one expert said. (iStock)
This can result in a “dangerous” loss of motivation, the neuroscientist warned.
“We all need motivation to live our lives and to feel proud of ourselves and to feel confident and to get what we want,” she told Fox News Digital.
How to avoid brain rot
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for avoiding brain rot, according to Bobinet.
The key is learning what works best for the individual, she said, which involves “tweaking and tinkering and adjusting as you go,” she said.
“Humans are very resilient,” she added. “Once we know the truth about our bodies, then we can do something about it.”
Scrolling on social media is a way to “disassociate” and give the brain a rest after a long day, which is an “avoidance behavior,” one neuroscientist said. (iStock)
Dr. Don Grant, national adviser of healthy device management at Newport Healthcare in Los Angeles, called out device makers and content producers for keeping users hooked to their devices.
“They’re very clever, these creators who created these algorithms and also leverage our limbic system – the same [way] the people who created slot machines did,” he told Fox News Digital. “Pull the handle … You never know what you’re going to get.”
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Grant said he’s concerned about “the death of some things,” including imagination.
“We don’t have to imagine anything anymore,” he said. “We pick up our devices every time. I’m worried about memory. I’m worried about education.”
Grant said he often hears from kids that they spend eight hours on any given night scrolling and watching videos, which “disrupts their sleep hygiene.”
One expert said he often hears from kids that they spend eight hours on any given night scrolling and watching videos, which “disrupts their sleep hygiene.” (iStock)
“And I say, ‘OK, can you tell me one video you remember?’ I have yet to have one kid really be able to remember anything they saw.”
“Our brain matter is diminishing, our memories are diminishing [and] our attention spans are diminishing,” Grant warned.
“I’m worried about memory. I’m worried about education.”
The expert offered some tips to avoid getting stuck in a “doom scroll” of “endless, bottomless” content, especially for children.
Since the internet is “archived forever,” Grant noted that “FOMO,” or fear of missing out, is not a valid reason to stay online.
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“Maybe phone a friend or FaceTime your grandma for the holidays,” he suggested.
Grant also urges people to be more strategic about spending time online, splitting it up into 80% “meaningful, legitimate” content and 20% entertainment.
One expert urges people to be more strategic about spending time online, splitting it up into 80% “meaningful, legitimate” content and 20% entertainment. (iStock)
“For digital hygiene and well-being, you can set limits, you can block access,” said Grant. “Set tech-free times and zones in your home, especially for families.”
“Get outside, move a muscle … play memory games, intellectually challenging or educational games.”
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The expert also encourages people to ask themselves a few questions after scrolling to help gauge the quality of time spent.
These might include: “Could you tell me how much time you were online? Did you spend more time than you wanted to? Did you feel better?”
Grant added, “There’s a perceived danger of virtual life and how we’re using our free time – at the end of it, are you really feeling good about yourself?”
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Health and government officials are warning of a potential deadly substance in the illegal drug supply.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) issued a health advisory on Thursday about reports of medetomidine being detected in fentanyl.
Also known as “rhino tranq,” “mede” or “dex,” medetomidine is a veterinary sedative that causes severe, prolonged sedation. Classified as an alpha-2 agonist, it acts on the nervous system similar to other veterinary sedatives, like xylazine, and can cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.
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The advisory is based on surveillance data, including forensic drug testing, wastewater analysis, clinical case reports and overdose investigations.
In 2023, there were 247 incidences of medetomidine detected in drug samples, which rose to 2,616 in 2024 and 8,233 in 2025 – a more than 3,000% increase. Forensic drug reports showed that about 98% of medetomidine-positive samples also contained fentanyl.
Health and government officials are warning of a potential deadly substance in the illegal drug suppl (iStock)
The drug has been detected in at least 18 states and Washington, D.C., with a concentration in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the U.S., per the CDC alert.
Dr. Adam Scioli, chief medical officer of Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania, said the alert highlights a “concerning and rapidly evolving development” in the illicit opioid supply.
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“Its co‑occurrence with fentanyl significantly complicates overdose presentation and withdrawal management, further increasing both clinical acuity and unpredictability,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Medetomidine is not routinely detected on standard toxicology screens, increasing the risk of under‑recognition without a high index of clinical suspicion.”
The drug has been detected in at least 18 states and Washington, DC, with a concentration in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the U.S. (iStock)
Naloxone (Narcan), known for its overdose reversal effects, does not counteract medetomidine, the advisory warned.
“While naloxone remains essential for reversing opioid‑induced respiratory depression, it does not address the sedative effects of medetomidine,” Scioli confirmed.
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The initial effects of the drug include deep sedation or decreased consciousness, bradycardia (slow heart rate), hypotension (low blood pressure) and respiratory depression, especially when combined with fentanyl and other opioids.
Withdrawal symptoms typically begin about a few hours after taking medetomidine. They can be severe and rapid, peaking at about 18-36 hours, according to experts.
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Initial withdrawal symptoms include rising blood pressure, tachycardia, agitation and nausea/vomiting, gradually leading to severe hypertension, altered mental status, and possible cardiac or neurologic complications, per the alert.
Severe cases require intensive care in a hospital. “Management may require ICU‑level monitoring and care,” said Scioli.
Naloxone (Narcan), known for its overdose reversal effects, does not counteract medetomidine, the advisory warned. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
In a May 2024 example cited by the CDC, medetomidine in the illegal opioid supply was linked to a cluster of overdoses in Chicago, potentially exceeding 175. At least 16 people were hospitalized and one died.
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There were some limitations to the surveillance, the agency acknowledged. Surveillance systems rely on small samples that may not be representative of all areas.
There is also the chance that the numbers could be overestimated due to contamination or repeated use of drug paraphernalia. Conversely, numbers could actually be higher than recorded, as medetomidine is rapidly metabolized in the body and is not typically tested in clinical settings.
An expert noted that the alert highlights the need for “careful assessment beyond standard opioid toxicity models,” as well as close coordination with toxicology, emergency medicine and public health partners. (iStock)
The surveillance was conducted by the CDC with support from federal public health programs and collaboration with other agencies.
Scioli noted that the alert highlights the need for “careful assessment beyond standard opioid toxicity models,” as well as close coordination with toxicology, emergency medicine and public health partners.
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“The drug supply is evolving in ways that strain traditional opioid‑focused frameworks and demand greater clinical vigilance,” he said.
“From a treatment perspective, this is another clear example of why addiction care must be adaptive, medically sophisticated, and grounded in whole‑person, long‑term recovery — not solely acute stabilization,” he added.
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A panel of judges has ruled that it is impossible to determine which of two identical twins fathered a woman’s baby.
The child (referred to as “P”), who was conceived in 2017, is now 8 years old, according to court documents.
The U.K. woman, who was only identified as “the mother,” reportedly engaged in sexual relations with the identical twins just four days apart.
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She remained in a relationship with one twin, who was named on the birth certificate and initially acted as the legal father, the filing stated. When the relationship ended, it triggered a legal dispute.
The mother and the twin who is not listed on the birth certificate brought the case, seeking to overturn an earlier ruling and have him legally recognized as the child’s father, the document detailed.
The child (referred to as “P”), who was conceived in 2017, is now 8 years old, according to court documents. (Child not pictured) (iStock)
The Court of Appeals ruled that legal paternity rights are only granted to a genetic father. While DNA testing shows a 50/50 chance for each twin to be the father, there is no definitive answer.
“Currently, the truth of P’s paternity is that their father is one or other of these two identical twins, but it is not possible to say which,” stated Lord Justice Moylan in the Court of Appeal ruling.
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Moylan added that the child’s paternity “is binary and not a single man,” highlighting the legal uncertainty created by the case.
Since neither twin can prove he is the biological father, neither can be given legal parental responsibility, the court declared.
The case is significant because it reveals a limit of DNA evidence, which is the foundation of many legal cases.
Monozygotic (identical) twins share virtually identical genetic profiles, including the markers used in standard paternity tests. (iStock)
“Identical twins share the same genetic DNA code. While, over time, there are subtle changes to patterns around the DNA that would allow matching in some circumstances for adults’ cells, these markers are significantly degraded at the time of fertilization — making it not practical with current technology to assign paternity to identical twin brothers,” Paul Brezina, physician and fertility expert at Fertility Associates of Memphis, an Ivy Fertility Center, told Fox News Digital.
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In addition to medical questions, this situation could have an emotional impact on the parents and child, noted Brezina, who was not involved in the case.
“Support for the patient and the child through counseling and their medical professionals is vital moving forward,” he advised.
Since neither twin can prove he is the biological father, neither can be given legal parental responsibility, the court declared. (iStock)
Identical twins have long presented a challenge in DNA testing, previous medical research has shown.
Monozygotic (identical) twins share virtually identical genetic profiles, including the markers used in standard paternity tests, meaning they “cannot be differentiated using standard DNA testing,” according to a study published in Forensic Science International: Genetics.
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There are more advanced methods, such as whole genome sequencing, that can detect some rare genetic mutations among twins, but researchers say these techniques are complex, expensive and not commonly used in legal cases.
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A study published in PLOS Genetics confirms that distinguishing between identical twins’ DNA requires highly specialized analysis that goes beyond standard forensic testing.
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