Built Like Me. Occupational Therapist: Child & Adolescent Mental Health

20/11/2025

“They can crowd out real world activities”
👆👆👆
This is absolutely on the money Unplugged Psychologist. The term ‘Brain rot’ has been popping up around me daily for the past few weeks. I knew I didn’t know enough about it, but I did know it was connected to Roblox and that I need to get my head around it quickly. (When you work with young people the trends you need to understand move quickly)

Most amazingly to me if that kids have come up with this term with an awareness that these games are highly addictive and hard to put down!
As adults that gives us a great way to open to conversation about how best we support them to manage their use of these games.
If you, like me, finding keeping up with the latest evidence based advice around tech and screen times it’s important to have a few go to pages and sites. The unplugged psychologist if usually the first place I check.

What Are Brain Rot Games & Why Are Kids Obsessed?

As a child psychologist & digital addiction specialist, I've spent 20 years tracking screen trends. Recently, a term has exploded across school & dinner tables: Brain Rot games. If you’re a parent, teacher or health professional trying to understand what this means & why kids are hooked, you’re not alone

What Does Brain Rot Mean?
“Brain Rot” is the nickname kids use for games they play endlessly. They know it’s not good for them. The term isn’t medical, but when kids label their own games Brain Rot, we should pay attention

These aren’t long stories or creative tools. They’re fast, colourful, chaotic bursts of dopamine. Think basic graphics, repeatable mechanics & short rounds. Easy to pick up, hard to put down

Examples include:
Roblox obbys
Subway Surfers
Stumble Guys
Melon Playground
Garten of Banban

Kids don’t need tutorials or big time commitments. It’s quick stimulation.

Why Are Kids Drawn to Them?
These games reward fast & often. Kids love mastery & rapid progression. They can squeeze in a few rounds between homework & dinner, or in the car.

Socially, they’re shareable. They show up in jokes, TikTok trends & memes. Even when not playing, kids are watching or talking about them. There’s also safety in simplicity. Unlike games needing headsets & intense focus, Brain Rot games are lightweight & disposable. Kids can jump in, laugh, & jump out.

Should We Be Worried?
Not necessarily. Brain Rot games aren’t evil. But they’re built to keep kids coming back. If they dominate playtime, they can crowd out real world activities.

Ask yourself:
Is this a sometimes snack or an all the time diet?
Does my child still do creative or social play?
Is this replacing sleep, homework or friendships?

One helpful step: get curious. Type one of these games into YouTube + “gameplay”. You’ll see why kids get hooked. Understanding their world makes for better conversations

“Brain Rot” isn’t medical. But it reveals something important: kids know when something isn’t good for them. They just can’t always stop

That’s where adults step in. Not to ban everything, but to guide, balance & stay curious about what’s behind the screen

19/11/2025

I love this!!!
And it doesn’t always have to be a whole dedicated walk!
You can pause and notice the smell, colour or texture of the flower in your front yard, or the bush you parked next to for school drop off.

Fleeting moments like this promote the idea of mindful moments and build interoception in developing brains.

All key parts of developing the skills needed for emotional regulation.

18/11/2025

10/11/2025

Only 5 therapy weeks to go for term 4 at Built Like Me.
We have a small number of one off appointments plus a very small number of brief intensive therapy places still available for the remainder of the term.

Remember early intervention isn’t forever!
Not everyone needs ongoing regular therapy!
Sometimes 2 or 3 sessions can be incredibly helpful.
Sometimes short intensive blocks of therapy a once or twice a year is better than regular fortnightly appointments.

Sometimes consistent fortnightly appointments are best!

In depends on you, your child, the goals, the challenges, how many competing demands and commitments a family has, as well as access to funding and each families financial situation.

www.builtlikeme.com.au

06/11/2025

This is a question I have been asked a thousand times.

But it’s one I find increasingly hard to answer.

Sure I absolutely love the clinical work I do!

I cherish my collection of cards and letters from young people who I have worked with.

I still get a buzz every-time a young person reaches a goal, or archives something that felt impossible not too long ago.

But every professional group I am a part of is full of exhausted and burnt out therapists of all disciplines and all career stages.

My public health colleagues feel overworked, and under appreciated. Often seen as irrelevant and not valued within the system.

My private practice colleagues are facing increasingly unobtainable KPI’s, a public battering based on utter nonsense for being ‘greedy and money hungry’ while wondering if their employer will stay afloat or close the doors.

The most experienced and resilient in our professions tell us to ride out this storm, that they have seen it all before. That these cycles come around every decade or so.

So when a young person full of passion and a desire to support others asks if they should invest time and money into an Allied Health degree what do you tell them??

Because “Do it for the love of it, but don’t do it for the money” seems like very poor advice these days.

06/11/2025

Transitioning out is just as important as transitioning in.

05/11/2025

9 days yo go until the Built Like Me Ready Steady School kicks off!

24/10/2025

Ready, Set, School! Helping parents, help kids feel ready to navigate prep!

Find out more at www.builtlikeme.com.au

23/10/2025

Halloween making OT extra fun!

How I make it work with so many different kids, interests, skills and goals….

I only decorate one wall!

Kids that aren’t into Halloween don’t do the Halloween activities.

We stay away from anything that is likely to be too scary.

Options are easily adjusted to skill, goals, interest etc.

We focus on the process, the skills and their individual therapy goals over the outcome.

The invitation to engage with Halloween craft is just one meaningful Occupation that I am using to build engagement, connection, skills and work towards goals!

22/10/2025

Crunchy foods are a great addition to lunch boxes and after school snacks.

A subtle way to add some extra oral ‘proprioception’, which for some kids can aid in regulation and focus.

Proprioception is our bodies way of knowing where it is and how our muscles are moving.
When we use our muscles to push, pull, lift, climb, walk, sit upright, chew etc we are getting proprioceptive input.

Lots of kids seek additional proprioceptive input to regulate and manage attention, behaviour and their emotions.
A crunchy snack during brain food or after school can provide some bonus proprioceptive input.

22/10/2025

Built Like Me kids often get to walk down to an amazing climbing tree 5minutes walk from the office!

The joy and pride on their faces as they yell out to mum or dad about how high they are is priceless.

The many, many, many benefits of tree climbing:

🌳 muscle strength
🌳 endurance
🌳 gross motor skills such as balance and core strength
🌳 spatial awareness
🌳 tactile, vestibular, proprioceptive input
🌳 critical thinking skills
🌳 executive functioning skills
🌳 decision-making and problem-solving skills
🌳 motor planning
🌳 emotional strength and resilience
🌳 sense of accomplishment
🌳 self-confidence
🌳 imaginative and creative play

Most importantly...having fun!

22/10/2025

CYBER SAFETY RESOURCE FOR PARENTS THAT IS ACTUALLY HELPFUL:

Parents: If you haven’t come across CTRL SHFT yet it’s time to go to their website and sign up!

Trying to stay across all things online safety is so incredibly hard. It’s part of my job to be across it and I never ever feel up to date.

But I am thrilled to have this new initiative to help.

When I saw that this had Kirra Pendergast the founder of safe on social and Brad Marshall the unpluggedpsychologist I knew I could trust that this would be current evidence based information and good advice. They know there stuff, and are not about taking the technology and the games away. They are about helping parents help kids to navigate the online world.

So STOP 🛑 scrolling now, click the link below and sign up for the Parent Essentials Free Resource Library!

https://www.safeonsocial.com/programs

Ps: I am in no way connected to this project.
I am just a local Allied Health professional who has seen the dark side of kids online first hand far too many times.