Key insights
- “Kid rotting” is trending. The term – inspired by Gen Z’s “bed rotting” – describes a popular philosophy among parents this summer who are encouraging their children to do nothing and embrace unstructured play.
- Diet Cokes are called “fridge cigarettes” now. A viral TikTok post which makes this comparison has had nearly 300,000 likes. It reflects a shift toward accessible, everyday rituals that help people reset in a chaotic world.
- Music is emerging as both a refuge and a rallying cry. It’s offering emotional uplift through sub-genres like Afro-Adura in Nigeria, while also acting as a platform for political protest at festivals and beyond.
Overview
Why have cans of Diet Coke been dubbed “fridge cigarettes”? What does the summer of “kid rotting” say about parenting and Gen Alpha? And how is music showing up in new ways as a focal point for resistance and escapism?
Below we explore three topics on our radar this month and their impact on consumers. By scanning the headlines, keeping tabs on social media conversations and tuning into the zeitgeist, we connect the dots between our trends and the wider world so that you can make sense of what’s happening now and what it means for you.
1. The rise of kid rotting: The parenting trend encouraging children to do nothing this summer
“Kid rotting” has become popular among nostalgic and financially squeezed parents
Forget tightly packed schedules and resume-boosting activities. This summer, Gen Alpha’s parents are embracing “kid rotting”, an internet parlance used to describe summers where kids are encouraged to do nothing and spend their school-free summers in a languid, carefree way.
The term is inspired by Gen Z’s “bed rotting”, a term which gained traction in 2024 and involves lying in bed and doing nothing, but the concept of a wild summer isn’t entirely novel either. Summers of past generations usually involved carefree play, where kids were free to wander without a rigid schedule tying them down. Kid rotting embraces that very philosophy.
For some parents, the shift is deeply intentional and a recognition of wellness burnout, where the world of wellness has paradoxically reached a tipping point, evolving from a source of calm to a source of stress. Given this, parents have also begun questioning the need to optimize every moment of their children’s lives.
Financial reasons are also a motivator. Summer camps and tuitions usually come with a hefty price tag, which many parents are finding harder to justify, especially given the ongoing economic crisis.
Kid rotting also contrasts sharply with the ultracompetitive nature associated with modern day parenting culture, where the school break is often viewed as an opportunity for children to build skills and gain an edge over their peers for future career prospects. Instead, this method embraces boredom as a means to creativity, rest and self-led exploration. Over the past few years, boredom has become increasingly aspirational, especially as the harmful effects of overstimulation due to phone usage and social media become apparent.
However, there’s a downside to this too: while previous generations experienced wild summers without technology, it may be hard to emulate the same for Gen Alpha given the number of screens they are surrounded by. Kid rotting then, if unchecked, may inadvertently lead to endless screentime.
How can brands respond to the kid rotting buzz?
Align with consumers’ desire to embrace a slower, lower-cost, nostalgia-driven lifestyles. The popularity of “kid rotting” highlights how parents are prioritizing simple pleasures and low-stakes pastimes over structured productivity. This trend signals that in some areas of life, the push for constant optimization is not only unnecessary but actively unappealing.
Consider messaging, products and activations that support:
- Simple, low-cost ways to play, rest or create
- Unstructured family moments that are easy to share
- Value-driven propositions for stretched wallets
- A rejection of hyper-productivity, aligning with slower summer living
2. “Fridge cigarettes” and the romanticization of everyday escape
Gen Z has dubbed Diet Cokes “fridge cigarettes” because of the low-stakes relief they offer
Diet Coke is finding new fans among Gen Z audiences, who are embracing it as the ultimate safe and accessible vice.
Following Cosmopolitan’s crowning of the drink as the “trendiest drink of 2025” that’s riding a wave of Y2K nostalgia, Diet Coke has become a cultural touchpoint and a trending topic on social media. In early June, a viral TikTok post from @reallyrachelreno gave the fizzy beverage a new nickname: the “fridge cigarette”. The post, which has had nearly 300,000 likes, captures a moment many found instantly relatable: the satisfying tschhh of a can opening, paired with the caption: “Time for a crispy ciggy in the summer”.
What’s driving the viral Diet Coke moment?
One interpretation is that the beverage is becoming a torchbearer for accessible escapist reverie – a low-cost, emotionally satisfying ritual that feels increasingly essential in a world where burnout and permacrisis have become the backdrop to everyday life.
We might also interpret this as another signal of the softening around wellness culture. At a time when virtuous living can feel like yet another form of pressure, the so-called “fridge cigarette” offers something altogether breezier and less bound up with self-optimization.
Its allusion to smoking also recalls pop culture’s more forgiving (and often ironic) stance towards cigarettes in recent years, with artists like Addison Rae, Charlie XCX and Lorde, who use cigarettes in stage shows and lyrics as a shorthand for rebelliousness or a rebuke of optimization culture. In this way, the fridge cigarette echoes 2024’s “brat summer”, with its playful, unapologetic vibe returning as the northern hemisphere once again enters the summer months.
Finally, while commentators have framed the fridge cigarette’s virality as a grassroots, consumer-powered cultural moment, Coca-Cola is likely providing some significant tailwind. The brand has been upping its Gen Z engagement in recent months with campaigns that closely align with the “crispy ciggy” spirit. Its “Know the Signs” campaign for Diet Coke, for instance, features a series of light-hearted videos – narrated by Kristen Wiig – that capture “relatable reminders that we can make a big difference by taking even a small sliver of time for ourselves”. The ads depict everyday stresses in the modern workplace, made all the more manageable with moments of cold, fizzy relief. Another recent campaign encourages “Gen Z to rediscover the power of presence in a hyper-connected world”.
How should brands ride on the success of the “fridge cigarette”?
Recognize the value of micro-escapism moments – enjoyed solo or with others. Whether it’s a fridge cigarette, a favorite snack or a five-minute scroll-break, there is serious appetite for accessible, emotionally satisfying ways to hit pause in a hyperstimulated and seemingly crisis-laden world. For brands hoping to play a similar role, consider positioning that signals: “this is your time” – across ingredients, packaging and form factor. And all the better if these attributes, visual or audio, are designed to be captured and organically shared online.
3. Music as protest and escape: How festival boycotts and Afro-Adura reflect today’s crises
New musical sub-genres offer hope and relief
Music has always been a vessel for both hope and protest. Today, at a time when economic and geopolitical crises are compounding, it’s again proving to be a source of succour in new ways.
In Nigeria, a subgenre of Afrobeats music called Afro-Adura, aka “trenches music” (trenches being a term used colloquially to mean ghetto) is uplifting the country during difficult times. The musical style layers religious and aspirational lyrics over beats, drawing inspiration from gospel, trap and Nigerian street culture. As inflation has soared and electricity blackouts have become increasingly frequent in Nigeria, Afro-Adura is providing citizens with a sense of reprieve and joy, as reported by journalist Tiléwa Kazeem in The Guardian.
Festival boycotts have become battlegrounds for ethical alignment
Meanwhile in Europe, boycotts of festivals and venues by both artists and consumers are centering the music and hospitality industries as a crucial site of protest – turning music spaces into battlegrounds for ethical alignment
At least 15 artists pulled out of Field Day festival in London, and over 200 signed an open letter to the festival over its ties with investment firm KKR, the parent company of Superstruct, which owns Field Day. KKR has stakes in arms manufacturing companies and has been involved in Israeli developments in Palestine’s West Bank. Over 50 artists have withdrawn from Sónar festival in Barcelona because of its ties to KKR in an effort led by the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement.
And the first ever London edition of SXSW festival was mired with accusations of “art washing” and “unethical” programming from artists who also pulled out. Meanwhile, pianist Andras Schiff is boycotting concerts in the US in response to President Trump’s changes to cultural institutions in the country. Consumers are following suit by boycotting events that do not align with their own ethical and political values.
UK’s Glastonbury Festival has a long history of activism, with an entire stage dedicated to talks about social and political causes, while festival proceeds have supported issues like nuclear disarmament. And 2025 was no different.
Numerous artists including Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, English singer Jade, and Australian band Amyl and the Sniffers, made political statements on issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict, colonialism and welfare cuts. Despite industry efforts and calls from politicians to remove Irish rap band Kneecap from the lineup due to a band member being charged with a terrorism offence, they still appeared.
The festival’s founder Michael Eavis commented that those who don’t agree with the festival’s politics should “go somewhere else”. Access to the stage the band performed on had to be closed ahead of time to avoid overcrowding and the band kicked it off with a Free Palestine message.
While music has always been a tool for protest, and this is not the first time we are seeing boycotts of events, cultural boycotts led by musicians and artists themselves are experiencing serious momentum during music festival season in the Northern hemisphere in 2025. Their voices and platforms are bringing attention to a mismatch in values between the events being put on and the investors and sponsors behind them – bringing visibility to consumers who are spending their (increasingly limited) dollars on live events.
How can brands show up in this context?
Recognize that cultural alignment matters now more than ever. Brands engaging with music (festivals, partnerships, parties) – and indeed other cultural media and moments – must understand the cultural undercurrents and stance of the consumers they are targeting. To sensitively engage with music audiences, brands are invited to create space rather than co-opt it. Amplify existing cultural ecosystems to thrive on their own by creating infrastructure, providing funding, or uplifting key voices – but ensure your brand’s values and connections are not at odds with the ecosystems you are seeking to support.
Be prepared to come up against consumer scrutiny of “artwashing”. This describes the use of art and artists to legitimize or distract from negative action, and it may become a bigger ethical concern for consumers as they look to vote with their dollars across more spending areas. Brands will be expected to share their stance on the issues of the day – be those DEI, conflicts or sustainability – in order to secure loyalty.
Support under-pressure consumers with emotion-curating hacks. The rise of Afro-Adura demonstrates the power of music as more than just entertainment, but as a form of therapy and mood regulation. Emotionally supportive soundscapes and mood-regulating music have broad appeal, something brands across sectors should explore.
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These signals are part of a longer report published on Collision, our dynamic trends intelligence platform. Members get access to these reports at the beginning of every month, so they always have a finger on the pulse of consumers and culture. If you’re interested in learning more about Collision and how the platform can make a difference to your business, get in touch today.
