The psychology behind '6-7' and 'skibidi': why gibberish took over the playground in 2025

As they access the internet for themselves, the way that they communicate reflects it — leading to phrases like ‘skibidi Ohio rizz,’ and ‘you’re chopped and unc.'

We spoke to two linguistics, experts about Gen Alpha slang, about the impact the latest trendy words are having on the development of the next generation. (Spoiler alert: it’s nothing to worry about!)

Why do teens love slang, and how does it spread?

Cynthia Gordon, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, says: “When we use language, we not only convey information that we need to get through the day, but, equally importantly, who we are and our relationships with others. Slang words can be thought of as generally informal and also as tied to particular groups. In using them, we affirm our connections with other group insiders and exclude others.”

Young people use slang words to connect with their peers while differentiating themselves and breaking free from their parents and teachers, she says — as they have done for decades.

“Using a specific language code (a jargon) which distinguishes them from other generations/speakers of the same language further strengthens a feeling of belonging,” says Mila Vulchanova, a professor in linguistics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the founding Director of the Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab.

While slang may have been around for years, the way that it spreads changes with time and new technologies.

“The spread of slang is a bit different now than it used to be, though. When I was a young person, entertainment media helped spread Valley Girl speech, whereas Gen Alpha speech can circulate and spread not only through entertainment media, but also through social media. Language change can now spread very far, very quickly,” Cynthia says.

She adds: “The 24-hour news cycle also spreads new ways of speaking. For example, the ‘6-7’ phenomenon and new terms such as ‘rage baiting’ spread through social media but have also received ample coverage in the news media, from podcasts to TV news to items tweeted or otherwise shared by news outlets.”

Gen Alpha’s language skills are shaped by the internet…

“Gen Alpha is the first generation born entirely in the 21st century and the generation whose environmental input has been entirely dominated by digital technologies,” Mila says.

This means that many tech-related words are part of their everyday lexicon.

“For example, the verb 'to google' is commonly used to mean 'to search online' and 'MOOC' is a recognisable acronym for some of us (standing for 'massive open online course'). Even the meanings of existing words can change — for instance 'to like' something on Facebook has a specialised, different meaning than simply uttering 'I like pizza' in a conversation,” Cynthia says.

But it’s not just individual words that technology has introduced to Gen Alpha, it’s a whole new way of approaching language, writing, and reading.

“They have experienced early exposure to social media and AI that shapes how they use language,” Cynthia says. For example, “apps that not only note spelling errors but suggest ‘better wording’ and can even compose a paper outline or a full draft. They can have full ‘conversations’ with chat bots,” she says — neither of which mean they are engaging with language and conversations in the same ways that their Gen X, Millennial, and maybe even Gen Z parents did as they developed their language skills.

Mila says: “Overall, what is clear is that digital technologies are changing the ways in which language is acquired, and instead of exposure to language produced by humans (like caregivers and peers), children are immersed in a digital reality and language mediated by the internet, screens, so-called educational apps, and the like.”

… and so is their slang

Like their language skills, Gen Alpha’s slang is also heavily influenced by the internet.

According to Mila, researchers have observed lots of abbreviations, as well as new spellings of words that incorporate abbreviation with other characters like numbers, and memes.

And in the non-English-speaking world, such as Norway, where she works, “this generation systematically communicates among themselves in a register mixing Norwegian with English.”

Most Gen Alpha slang comes from the internet, then, whether that’s words and spellings, niches with their own vocabulary (like fandoms), and popular memes, creators, and videos that popularise certain words and phrases.

The Twitch streamer Kai Cenat is the originator of a few Gen Alpha slang heavy-hitters — ‘rizz,’ ‘gyatt', and ‘Fanum tax', to be specific — showing how the in-jokes of his viewers have spread to incorporate other internet users.

Why is so much Gen Alpha slang gibberish?

So, Gen Alpha’s slang is not necessarily gibberish, it just tends to come from and refer to online communities that their parents are simply not in. It sounds like gibberish to us, just like ‘swag’ and ‘ROFL’ and ‘I haz cheezburger’ might have sounded like gibberish to the parents of Millennials.

“Words like ‘skibidi’ and the ‘6-7’ phenomenon don't seem to carry a lot of literal meaning. However, they carry social meaning,” Cynthia says. “Other generations and social groups have had words that are used in ways that don't carry a lot of literal meaning (e.g. ‘like’ as a filler word in Valley Girl speech).”

And this is sort of the point. Referring back to Cynthia and Mila’s explanations of why slang exists, Gen Alpha’s ‘gibberish’ is almost intended to exclude people who don’t get it. They even have a word for it: ‘unc,’ referring to someone older or out of touch.

There’s also a name for the sort of low-quality memes, phrases, and online media that Gen Alpha enjoys: ‘brain rot', which shows that people who find it funny are aware of the fact that it looks like nonsense from the outside.

“I think the many ‘gibberish’ words relate to the desire to use words that older people don't understand and perhaps are annoyed by,” Cynthia says.

Do parents need to be worried about the impact of Gen Alpha slang/brain rot on kids’ development?

Research on how the internet and digital technologies are impacting Gen Alpha’s language acquisition and language skills is only just emerging now, Mila says, “and the results are not consistent.”

Cynthia says: “We don't (can't!) yet know what long-term effects it might have on Gen Alpha's skills in writing, speaking, and engaging socially.”

But she assures us that memes and slang are not new.

“Anytime a person says "d'oh!" for instance, they are reproducing a phrase the cartoon character Homer Simpson has said many times, and placing it in a new context to convey some meaning. Uttering "to be or not to be, that is the question," functions similarly,” she says.

Gen Alpha’s slang is just the latest, most Internet-ified version of these ‘memes.’

“In other words, reusing old semiotic material — be it words or phrases or GIFs — is a natural part of meaning-making,” Cynthia says.

“As a linguist, I am not worried about ‘brain rot’ or ‘meme’ language at the moment,” she continues. “That said, it is clear that using too much social media at the expense of other activities and social experiences can affect children's psychological wellbeing.”

So, as long as Gen Alpha kids are saying their slang to each other in real life as well as online, they will hopefully be okay!

How long will Gen Alpha slang last?

What with Oxford Dictionary choosing ‘rage bait’ as their word of the year, and Dictionary.com choosing ‘6 7,’ the adults (or ‘uncs’) are already catching on to Gen Alpha slang — so it’s maybe already becoming uncool.

“My suspicion is that with the fast rate of the spread of slang and other linguistic forms in social media contexts, it won't be a long-lasting phenomenon, especially as parents and other adults come to understand their meanings,” Cynthia says.

So, if you’re struggling to keep up, don’t worry — next month’s slang is already being cooked up in a Discord server or on a Twitch stream as we speak!