AI slop linked to cognitive decline and extremism in children

Research from the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET) indicates that AI-generated “slop”—mass-produced, low-quality, and highly repetitive content—is contributing to cognitive decline and violent tendencies in children.

Specifically, AI-animated videos featuring characters like fruits are appearing frequently in children's social media feeds. While appearing harmless or absurd, these videos can covertly propagate extremist content or portray aggressive narratives involving domestic conflict and betrayal. This phenomenon is linked to “brain rot,” a term describing the psychological effects of consuming overstimulating, meaningless media designed to exploit dopamine-seeking behaviors like endless scrolling.

The surge in this content is attributed to the accessibility of inexpensive AI tools such as PixVerse, VeoE.ai, Media.io, and Sora, which allow single creators to flood platforms with massive amounts of content to maximize advertising revenue and engagement.