Oxford University Press has identified the most common children’s slang terms, many of which leave people baffled.

Children also got the chance to vote for their favorite slang terms, albeit “Artificial intelligence” was not chosen as the 2024 Children’s Word of the Year; instead, “Kindness” was chosen.

According to publisher Oxford University Press (OUP), more than 3,000 youngsters in the UK between the ages of six and fourteen were asked for their word of the year, and the most often given answers were “kindness,” “artificial intelligence,” and “conflict.”

 

A total of 2,000 youngsters voted on these three terms as well as three slang terms that were shortlisted from a survey of 1,200 kids.

“Slay,” which has been on the colloquial shortlist for the past two years, was selected by more than one in four respondents when asked for a slang word. “Sigma” and “skibidi,” respectively, came in second and third place in the vote.

The term “sigma,” made popular by individuals like contentious influencer Andrew Tate, refers to a very successful and self-reliant individual. Usually, the slang word is used to characterize a “self-reliant” man. It should not be confused with the Greek alphabet’s eighteenth letter.

The word “slay” describes a successful or fashionable person. It can also signify being really good or making a big impression on someone. It was chosen as the most popular slang term among kids.

“Skibidi,” the third most common term, has gained popularity among Gen Alpha, or people born after 2010.

Skibidi has no actual meaning; depending on the situation, it might indicate either good or bad or strange. Additionally, it might be used as a meaningless filler term.

Children who participated in the OUP poll provided examples of instances in which they would use the phrase, such as “oh, it’s totally skibidi mode” and “my chances of winning are very skibidi.”

The term initially arose in the YouTube series “Skibidi Toilet”. The first video in the series was uploaded to the website by Alexey Gerasimov in February 2023, and it quickly became well-liked online, particularly by children. Human-headed toilets and humanoid creatures with electronic devices for heads engage in combat in the cartoon movie.

Social media, especially Instagram and TikTok, has contributed to the rise in popularity of all three phrases. According to current estimates, over one million youngsters under the age of fourteen use TikTok in the UK.

Despite the confusing language, 61% of the children polled selected “kindness” as the Children’s Word of the Year, and some of them linked the word to mental health.

Kindness is vital “because you never know who is suffering,” according to one child, while another stated that “it’s always important to be kind as a lot of people struggle with their mental health.”

 

Social media, especially Instagram and TikTok, has contributed to the rise in popularity of all three phrases. According to current estimates, over one million youngsters under the age of fourteen use TikTok in the UK.

Despite the confusing language, 61% of the children polled selected “kindness” as the Children’s Word of the Year, and some of them linked the word to mental health.

Kindness is vital “because you never know who is suffering,” according to one child, while another stated that “it’s always important to be kind as a lot of people struggle with their mental health.”

A quarter of the children who responded to the study selected AI, and 53% of them linked the word to positive adjectives like “optimistic” and “excited.”

 

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