Parents vs 6-7: Why word of the year is kids’ ultimate weapon against naive adults

Yes, yes, millennials and boomers, you can't ever escape these slangs that just make the internet erupt into debate.

Now...it's six-seven. If you’ve noticed kids muttering it nonstop and throwing their hands up and down like it’s some sacred ritual, you're not the only one. Parents everywhere are likely afraid to count past five in their own homes, lest they accidentally summon the cursed numbers six and seven. It's now the word of the year. Sob. Sigh. More sobs.

So, what is it exactly? Well… it’s nonsense. Pure, delightful nonsense. The 6-7 meme is basically kids saying 'six-seven' in a weird cadence, sometimes with hand gestures, sometimes just because it’s fun to annoy adults. That’s it. No deep meaning. No hidden message. Just chaotic, contagious internet energy.

How it all started

The meme has its roots in a TikTok edit featuring basketball players and a rap track called 'Doot Doot' by Skrilla, where he sings “6-7” in a catchy rhythm. Somehow, it went from a basketball highlight to a full-blown viral meme, complete with up-and-down hand motions — the kind of thing children now replicate obsessively in hallways, classrooms, and apparently, living rooms.

The key moment came when a child at a game paired the phrase with the gesture, turning it into an emote — basically a TikTok-ready way to be silly, flex, or just mess with anyone within earshot.

Why parents, and just generally adults are annoyed

The trend is relentless.

Children are chanting it everywhere. It spreads like glitter at a craft table: impossible to contain, impossible to ignore. And the reason parents are losing it? There is literally nothing to stop. No rhyme, no reason, no payoff. Just: six-seven. Over and over.

It’s the latest entry in a long line of child-driven viral math jokes. Gen Z had their 420. Millennials had 1738. And calculators had 5318008. Now it’s Gen Alpha’s turn to ruin peace and quiet with two innocent numbers and a hand gesture that somehow feels threatening.

In fact, a school teacher in the UAE was so annoyed that she told the kids as a joke that she would get them to do 67 burpees if they say it again. My own colleague Manjusha Radhakrishnan, a mum to three, explains how frustrated she is with the entire parade. "Each time I hear it from them, I do an eyeroll. Will these children ever go to college, I wonder."

The 6-7 meme is chaotic, pointless, and impossible to escape — and that’s exactly why it’s so irresistible to kids and so maddening to parents. Don’t worry, though: like all TikTok trends, it’ll probably vanish… in six, seven… maybe six-seven months.