‘Cringe has ruined the internet’: Why young people no longer want to share anything online

Many young people now hesitate to post personal or expressive content because they fear being judged as “cringe”, or embarrassing to others. The article argues that this anxiety is changing online culture: people share less openly, while brand advertising and AI-generated material become more prominent.

The shift reflects greater awareness of the lasting consequences of posting, alongside stricter expectations of how people should behave online. Young users often keep accounts private, post only to select audiences or leave profiles empty; commentators disagree over whether this is ordinary teenage insecurity or a form of social pressure with broader cultural effects.