Italian Brainrot | Harmless or Harmful? Psychologist and Psychotherapist Ana-Maria Zamfir: “It’s like sugar. That’s the idea!” What Should Parents Watch Out For?

“Many parents say about Brainrot: ‘At least they’re not watching something dangerous, it’s just silly.’ But is it harmless or harmful?” asked Părinți Prezenți host Loredana Iriciuc.

Psychologist and psychotherapist Ana-Maria Zamfir compared brainrot to sugar.

“It’s the same instinct-driven pursuit of pleasure, we like sugar. You can eat sweet things. You can give a child a piece of cake, it’s fine, I don’t think anything bad will happen.

But when they do that too much, say they only eat sugary foods and nothing else, then move on to other things and no longer enjoy them because the contrast is too great...

Sugar has a powerful impact, it’s pleasurable, and then it becomes hard to find joy in anything else.”

In other words, the issue isn’t that a child watches a video like Tralalelo Tralala, Cappuccino Assassino, Bombardiro Crocodilo, Chimpanzini Bananini, or Thung Thung Sahur. The problem arises when a child watches only that kind of content, over and over again, especially when they no longer find joy in anything else.

The “Italian Brainrot” phenomenon that’s captivated our kids, explained by a psychologist. Ana-Maria Zamfir: “This trend emerged from something that already exists within us”

Ana-Maria Zamfir: “Brainrot itself wouldn't harm if it’s just once”

PHOTO: freepik.com @a89221966171

“Brainrot in itself wouldn’t do any harm if a child sees it once. It’s not like, ‘Oh no, what’s going to happen if my child watches Brainrot?’” says Ana-Maria Zamfir on Părinți Prezenți, a show by ParintisiPitici.ro.

“Here’s the point: how long do they watch it? If a child watches the same Brainrot videos for who knows how many minutes, I think we should ask ourselves what’s going on.

How can they sit there for so long? You watch it once, maybe twice, maybe you're trying to understand it, but how long does it go on?

The way a child functions is what’s problematic here—and how much I’m exposing them to this stuff. Because it’s addictive.”

This is the real question: What role does this content play in the child’s life? Is it just for fun? Or is it an escape mechanism, a dopamine addiction, a way to avoid reality?

Watch their behavior: your child’s face says it all

“Brainrot is addictive, and you can see it in the child’s behavior just through simple observation”, psychologist Ana-Maria Zamfir adds.

“While a child is watching these videos, look at their facial expression. How present are they in their surroundings? And check how much time passes.

This stuff really grabs you.”

Children become absent, disconnected from the world around them. They react only to digital stimuli, while their face remains expressionless, their gaze vacant. A worrying contrast to spontaneous laughter or real-world, physical play.

PHOTO: freepik.com @romeo22

From Ads to Brainrot: How Children’s Attention Has Shifted

What the psychologist highlights is that this phenomenon didn’t just appear overnight—it’s the tip of the iceberg.

In the past, children were fascinated by ads because they were fast-paced and colorful. But now… even ads don’t hold their interest anymore.

“Ads used to be super exciting for kids, they were fascinated by them. Now they can’t stand them they immediately skip.

That means new and more exaggerated stimuli have taken over, in a constant crescendo of stimulation. And now we have to accept these things exist because they were built on what catches the audience’s attention.

Someone tried something absurd, and saw it went viral and that means the audience is receptive, interested, open to it. It serves a purpose.”

As psychologist Ana-Maria Zamfir emphasizes, Italian Brainrot is not a tragedy in itself. One video won’t ruin your child. But excessive exposure, especially when there’s no balance in the rest of their life, can lead to addiction, trouble focusing, and a gradual loss of interest in the real world.

And parents even if they don’t get why Cappuccino Assassino is funny need to stay connected and observant. Because sometimes, “just a silly video” can have more impact than we think.

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