07/04/2026

LYFE TUESDAY | APR 7, 2026

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Ű BY AMEEN HAZIZI

T HE phrase “brain rot” has become shorthand for a generation raised on endless scrolling, short form videos and constant digital stimulation. But experts say the reality is less about damage and more about what young minds are being trained to do. At a recent panel discussion in Kuala Lumpur, held in conjunction with BookXcess’s Brain Un-Rot Library initiative, researchers, educators and industry voices pushed back against the idea that attention spans are simply collapsing. Instead, they point to a shift in how attention is used. “There’s not an actual rot going on, but maybe a lack of training,” said National University of Singapore neuroscientist and research assistant professor with the Sleep & Cognition Lab Dr Stijn Massar. Rather than losing the ability to focus, young people may be developing different types of attention shaped by their digital environments. Not losing focus, but using it differently Short-form platforms reward rapid, stimulus-driven attention. Bright visuals, fast cuts and constant novelty train the brain to react quickly. Reading, by contrast, requires sustained, deliberate focus. “When we are doing more focused work like reading, what we actually need is more focused attention,” Massar said. He added that the bigger issue may be tolerance. “People are much less tolerant of boredom,” he said, pointing to how quickly users reach for their phones in idle moments. Different way of learning For educators, this shift is already visible. “They don’t come in with books, they come in with their smartphone,” said Sunway University School of Communication and Media Studies associate professor Dr Catherine Lee Cheng Ean. Rather than seeing this as decline, she described it as a change in behaviour. Social media has become a primary gateway for information, not

From left: Low, Ng, Lee and Massar speaking at the panel on how ‘brain rot’ content is reshaping attention and reading habits among youth.

Un-rot your brain

o Fixation with short form online content reveals deeper crisis just entertainment. “I wouldn’t say it’s worse. It’s just a different consumption behaviour,” she said. This is where initiatives such as the Brain Un-Rot Library come in,

deeper engagement. “There are two stages, discovery and commitment. They are two different things altogether,” he said. Bridging that gap remains one of the biggest challenges for reading today. Brain can be retrained The encouraging part is that attention is not fixed. “The brain is a learning machine,” Massar said, explaining repeated behaviour strengthens neural connections over time. He compared it with physical training. With gradual and consistent effort, focus can be rebuilt. “It’s fairly comparable to a muscle,” he said. This idea is central to efforts such as the Brain Un-Rot Library, which aim to gradually reintroduce longer text and sustained storytelling using familiar digital formats. Not decline, but transition The idea of “brain rot” suggests decline. But the evidence points more towards transition. Young people are not losing attention, but adapting it to a fast, fragmented environment. The challenge is ensuring deeper, more sustained focus is not left behind. If attention is a skill, it can be trained. For a generation raised on the scroll, the future may not be about choosing between screens and books, but learning how to move between both.

overall academic performance,” said Sunway Business School dean Professor Dr Lim Weng Marc. Reduced focus can lead to fragmented learning, making it harder to process and retain complex information. Stories are still powerful Despite the concerns, experts agree that interest in storytelling has not disappeared. “The human desire for stories has never disappeared,” said BookXcess co-founder Jacqueline Ng. What has changed is the environment competing for attention. “Today we live in a world of constant notifications, short videos and endless scrolling,” she said, noting this makes it harder to stay engaged with longer content. For non-readers, the challenge is even greater. “For a young adult who does not grow up in that environment, it’s actually really hard for them to walk into a bookstore and pick up a book,” she said. Discovery is not the same as reading Writers are also adapting to shifting attention habits. “Readers decide very quickly whether they want to continue. You have to earn attention from the first few lines,” said author Michael Low. He noted platforms such as TikTok are effective at introducing audiences to stories, but that initial exposure does not guarantee

attempting to use familiar digital formats to guide users back to longer, more immersive reading. Real impact on thinking and learning Still, the effects on deeper cognitive skills are clear. “We see firsthand how constant device use impacts our students’ ability to sustain focus. Attention fragmentation doesn’t just affect reading. It affects memory retention, critical thinking and

Children exposed to fast-paced ‘brain rot’ content may develop shorter attention spans and shifting learning habits. – 123RFPIC