Development and Psychometric Validation of the Brain Rot Scale: Measuring Digital Content Overconsumption Among Generation Alpha and Generation Z

Brain rot refers to the cognitive decline and mental exhaustion resulting from excessive consumption of low-quality, short-form digital content, particularly affecting Generation Alpha and Generation Z. This study developed and validated the Brain Rot Scale (BRS) to assess digital content overconsumption among digital natives aged 8-24 years. A two-phase design employed separate Egyptian samples for exploratory factor analysis (EFA; <i>n</i> = 403) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; <i>n</i> = 897). The initial 21-item Arabic scale underwent principal axis factoring with promax rotation, guided by parallel analysis. Following iterative item deletion, a 14-item scale (BRS-14) emerged with three factors: Attention Dysregulation (6 items), Digital Compulsivity (5 items), and Cognitive Dependency (3 items), accounting for 35.114% of common variance. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated excellent fit (CFI = 0.988; TLI = 0.985; RMSEA = 0.031 [0.023, 0.039]; SRMR = 0.040), with standardized loadings ranging from 0.667 to 0.758 (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The scale showed excellent reliability (<i>ω</i> = 0.900, <i>α</i> = 0.899), with subscale reliabilities from 0.759 to 0.857. Convergent validity was established (CR > 0.70, AVE > 0.50). Factor intercorrelations (0.636-0.671) supported a hierarchical model where a general Brain Rot factor explained 62.9-69.9% of first-order variance. The BRS-14 provides a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing problematic digital consumption patterns among contemporary youth populations.