How the latest internet craze, Skibidi Toilet, is highlighting the influence of social media
Be sure to check out the suggested Huddle question at the bottom of this article to discuss this important topic with your students in class, if you feel it is appropriate.
It wasn’t on our 2023 bingo card, but an animated series of talking toilets trying to take over the world has become a viral sensation among students. Enter the world of Skibidi Toilet on YouTube – an animated series viewed more than 65 billion times. On TikTok, #SkibidiToilet has been viewed more than 15.3 million times and has appeared in countless memes and sounds around social media. The creator behind Skibidi Toilet has recently surpassed 36 million subscribers on YouTube and is now one of the fastest-growing channels on the platform.
So what is the big deal with these toilets, and why has it become a cultural phenomenon for Gen Alpha? Despite taking place in a dark, dystopian world, these videos are humorous and animated in the style of popular video games like Call of Duty, resonating with students. While the content may seem perplexing to older generations, it provides a lot of humor for students who often choose to watch YouTube videos over traditional TV shows, spending almost 2 hours a day on YouTube.
Apps like YouTube expose students to a world of influencers, some positive and some not-so-positive. By understanding what students interact with on these platforms, like a channel releasing dystopian toilet content, we can empower students to make informed decisions on the content they consume and the influencers they follow to support their well-being.
What is Skibidi Toilet
Skibidi Toilet is a YouTube series Alexey Gerasimov created for his YouTube channel. The series involves a conflict between Skibidi Toilets (toilets with human heads), who are trying to take over the world, and humans with cameras, speakers, and televisions for heads who are trying to stop them. Taking place in NYC, the Skibidi Toilets, under the command of their leader, G-Man, strive to eradicate humanity and convert more individuals into Skibidi Toilets.
Social users of all ages are shocked at how popular these videos have become and how memes and trends revolving around Skibidi Toilet are circulating online. Maddy Buxton, culture and trends manager at YouTube, talked with The Washington Post about the latest trend, stating, “It’s become one of the year’s biggest cultural moments. I’ve never quite seen anything blow up like this. It started as a meme, but it’s evolved into this very complex storyline with many hidden meanings that people are eager to break down and try to understand.”
As Skibidi Toilet embodies the influence of gaming, memes, and short-form storytelling, educators can incorporate discussions on influencers, online culture, and the impact of trends on narratives into their classroom discussions. Skibidi Toilet is a clear example of how what students see online impacts their behavior due to how quickly the series became a meme, famous TikTok sound, and trendy topic for young students. Platforms like YouTube have a powerful influence on students, and encouraging students to follow and watch positive influencers empowers them to follow in their footsteps and play to their core values, online and offline.
Empowering students to follow positive influencers
Skibidi Toilet has recently influenced student behavior in various ways. Most notably, they create TikTok sounds based on the video or develop and share memes about the talking toilet heads. While the content created about Skibidi Toilet is humorous and mostly harmless, not every viral social media trend is. Encourage students to identify and follow positive role models to influence them to make high-character decisions anytime they interact with a social media trend.
Here is how you can empower students to find positive influencers:
- Teach students to avoid accounts that encourage hateful or risky behaviors: Risky behaviors include, but are not limited to, underage drinking, smoking, and unhealthy dieting. These behaviors can be found with excessive social media use but can also be linked to following accounts that promote harmful behavior. Students can enjoy social media while protecting their well-being by tracking users who promote fun and safe trends.
- Empower students to find a celebrity role model: 6 in 10 Americans say celebrity role models helped them get through tough times. Encourage students to find a celebrity who encourages positive behavior and model their behavior after them. Not only will that encourage students to act in high-character ways, it may even help them feel better about themselves.
- Become a positive role model for your students: While you may not be a social media influencer, 62% of students ages 6-17 listed their teachers as their top role models. Modeling responsible decision-making and positive behavior does have an impact on your students, whether it’s within the classroom or outside in the real world.
By encouraging students to live up to the Social Standard Find Your Influencers, educators can guide students toward positive online engagement, ensuring they interact with content creators who inspire them to be their best selves. For more strategies on empowering students to find their influencers online, check out our 7th-grade lesson on finding positive role models among social media and people worldwide.
#WinAtSocial Huddle Question
Huddle with your students
Videos, posts, and memes we see on social media easily slip into how we act and speak in our daily lives. Whether it be a trend with talking toilets or a movement we see repeatedly posted on our feed, the content we see on social media influences our conversations. What is a trend you’ve seen repeatedly on social media and how has it impacted you? Was it a positive, negative, or neutral impact?
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.