Brain rot digital habits and attention dysregulation predict lower academic performance in healthcare students

Healthcare students face immense cognitive demands, yet the impact of contemporary digital overconsumption, colloquially termed “brain rot”, on their academic performance remains poorly understood. This study examined whether multidimensional digital habits (attention dysregulation, digital compulsivity, cognitive dependency) predict GPA beyond established factors of fatigue and attentional control. A cross-sectional study of 212 undergraduate healthcare students (medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry) was conducted using validated Arabic versions of the Brain Rot Scale (BRS-14), Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), and Attention Control Scale (ATTC). Hierarchical multiple regression analyzed incremental predictive validity. Brain rot dimensions explained significant additional variance in GPA, increasing total explained variance from 3.9% to 12.1%. Attention dysregulation (β = −0.231, p = .021) and digital compulsivity (β = −0.186, p = .027) emerged as significant negative predictors, while cognitive dependency was non-significant. A suppression effect revealed fatigue as a positive predictor of GPA (β = 0.205, *p* = 0.044) after controlling for brain rot dimensions, tentatively suggesting a potential distinction between productive academic fatigue and digitally induced exhaustion; however, this interpretation remains speculative and requires replication with validated measures distinguishing effort-based from digitally induced fatigue states. Digital overconsumption, specifically attention dysregulation and digital compulsivity, independently is negatively associated with lower academic achievement in healthcare students. Universities should implement digital hygiene interventions to protect cognitive capacities essential for safe clinical practice.