In 2024, the whole world begins to talk about a phenomenon called “brain rot”, which literally means “decomposition/corruption of the brain”. This word describes the process of deterioration that begins due to long-term consumption of entertainment content on social networks. While scientists and experts are sounding the alarm about brain rot, netizens have come up with ways to fight it. In the summer of 2025, the Internet was filled with videos in which bloggers who decided to protect themselves from brain rot create so-called personal education plans: they argue that instead of mindlessly surfing social networks, a person will study something new, read books, watch movies or keep a personal diary. Read about the new trend and why not everyone thinks this is the right way to fight social media addiction.

“Changed my life”

“One of my favorite ways to use my mind is to imagine that I'm in a small school of my own creation and I can focus on the topic I want to cover. So I wanted to show you a portion of my curriculum this month. These are all things I love to learn and enjoy,” blogger Elizabeth Jean said in videotapewas posted on the social network TikTok in early June this year.

The main task is to choose any interesting topic and collect a list of materials that will help in the study of that topic. This can be books, articles, lectures, podcasts, interviews, documentaries and more. Jean decided to start with a course that helps awaken creative potential – the book “The Artist's Way” by American writer Julia Cameron.

On her list of things she wants to read this month, the blogger included “Money and the Law of Attraction” by motivational speaker Esther Hicks and a book on astrology. Jean also boasts that she keeps two diaries where she writes down stories from her life and thoughts that come to her mind and seem curious to her. “You should keep a diary. It's very good for the brain,” she advises subscribers.

Jean's video became a sensation. In the comments section, users called her curriculum idea genius: “I want to join you,” “Why have I never thought of this?”, “Oh my God, I just discovered this, I'm so inspired,” “I want to do this now,” they wrote.

For some, this blogger's video was a real discovery: they didn't even think that they could learn something new when school or college was already behind them. “I feel like my thinking is changing,” admitted one panelist, impressed with Jean's ideas. Commenters kept asking her questions about what books they could read and where to start journaling.

Blogger with the nickname Staywithsav speakthat he plans to read at least one classic work of literature a month and analyze it in detail, as well as immerse himself in the subject of interior design. Books by Tiktoker Brooke want learn more about space and another blogger – clutter – reportedwill learn how to write well and analyze poems.

“I signed up for a master's program. I'm afraid I've gone too far with this trend”, “My feed is now full of videos about the curriculum – honestly, this is the best thing this year”, “Looks like I've come to the positive side of TikTok”, “A great way to end our smartphone addiction” – such comments were left by users under the video.

“My vocabulary is getting worse and worse”

Jean's subsequent videos received hundreds of thousands of views. In July she was Gustav Jung. August blogger Patti Smith “Just Kids”.

Jean always enjoys learning new things – she previously worked as a sommelier and constantly creates training programs for herself to improve her knowledge in the field of winemaking. When she quit her job, she stopped doing the job but quickly realized that she wanted to learn more. “I love exploring the world through learning. I've always been a determined student. I just want to know everything. I'm curious.” admit she.

The trend for self-study soon prevailed in video hosting on YouTube: bloggers began posting detailed instructions on how to choose a topic to study and search for the necessary material, and also showed their diaries. One of these videos look more than 200 thousand times. The new hobby of young people has attracted the attention of the media: Forbes, CNN, Today and many other sites have published material about it.

User Mia Visuano, who joined Curriculum Club, said she was finally able to learn Spanish and the basics of finance. Thanks to that, the time she spends on the smartphone screen has decreased significantly. “My days have become longer and busier,” she notes when talking about the new trend's impact on her life.

Malgosia user Kwiatek also noted positive changes. She said the individualized study program finally helped her focus on herself. The girl stopped scrolling through her news feed for hours at a time and observed how other people lived. “My life was filled with deep meaning, I began to see beauty every day,” she shared her impressions.

Another member of the club is blogger Marjorie Reaume, who posts videos under the alias Cozy Marjorie, named The advantage of this form of training is the ability to set rules without pressure from the teacher. For example, she gave herself four months to familiarize herself with the history of textile art and planned to write several essays on the subject in the process.

And a tiktoker called Crime and Punishment and The Fool by Yeo Fyodor Dostoevsky, the play The Tempest by William Shakespeare and the book The Banality of Evil: Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt. She spends about two hours a day reading books and taking notes on what shapes readers' thoughts about heroes and villains.

Death of imagination

The trend introduced by Jean can be considered a reaction to the brainrot phenomenon. The term “decerebration” began to be actively used in the early 2020s and even has been announced in other words, the year 2024. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a supposed decline in mental or intellectual condition due to the excessive consumption of materials considered trivial or easy.”

Brainrot is not an official medical diagnosis, but experts warn that watching too much of such content can actually be harmful. Senior vice president of the Nuvance Health Neurological Institute in the US, Dr. Paul Wright, said that social media use leads to forgetfulness, bad mood and difficulty sleeping.

Dr. Don Grant, a consultant on healthy gadget use at the US organization Newport Healthcare, which specializes in treating mental disorders in adolescents and young adults, is also wary of this phenomenon. According to him, device manufacturers and content creators are making people addicted to screens. He fearthat in the future this could lead to the death of the imagination.

Scientists at Tianjin Normal University in China published in February 2025, research data on the health effects of watching short videos on the Internet. It turns out that people who use social networks more often than others show dangerous changes in brain structure. Additionally, it is known that jealous people tend to spend a lot of time on their phones.

Wright emphasized that to protect yourself from Brainrot disease, you need to be creative and constantly learn new things. “Our brains need a variety of activities. When we replace endless news scrolling with reading, physical activity or face-to-face communication, we maintain brain health and mental sharpness,” the expert explains.

Grant advises people to ask themselves questions after using social media, such as asking if they feel worse or better. If the answer is worse then this is a reason to think about spending less time viewing content. Doctors also recommend protecting against “brain rot” by installing an application on your device that limits the time you spend using social networks.

“This is your life”

Jean, who asked netizens to make a study plan, faced not only positive reactions but also negative reactions. Some noticed that more and more books appeared in her videos and began to doubt whether she had time to read them. Additionally, the blogger was criticized for the lack of serious subjects in the program – such as mathematics or physics.

Reply Jean statedthat he learns something new for his own pleasure, not to report to someone. “You don't have to be an expert on something. You can say, 'You know, I want to read this book.' If you don't remember a damn thing from it, who cares? This is your life, you can do whatever you want,” the blogger said.

CNN journalist Harmeet Kaur also pointed out the shortcomings of the new trend. According to her, the lack of grades, strict deadlines and other forms of control, often found in school and university, can lead to the fact that a person who decides to independently master a certain topic will simply abandon it. In addition, she does not rule out that the user's interest in self-study may become just a passing hobby.

However, psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada, Amaury Mikami, supports this curriculum idea. She likes that new hobbies of young people contribute to cognitive development: people begin to think about what interests them. She recalls that schools and universities often did not allow people to act independently.

The professor believes that the opportunity to better understand yourself, even if it appears as part of an Internet trend, is in any case beneficial.