The 6-7 Craze Offered A Brief Window Into The Hidden World Of Children The 74

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '626037510879173'); // 626037510879173 fbq('track', 'PageView');{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","dateCreated":"2026-01-18T03:32:45+04:00","datePublished":"2026-01-18T03:32:45+04:00","dateModified":"2026-01-18T03:32:45+04:00","headline":"The 6-7 Craze Offered A Brief Window Into the Hidden World of Children The 74","name":"The 6-7 Craze Offered A Brief Window Into the Hidden World of Children The 74","keywords":[],"url":"https://uaetodaynews.com/the-6-7-craze-offered-a-brief-window-into-the-hidden-world-of-children-the-74/","description":"Many adults are breathing a sigh of relief as the 6-7 meme fades away as one of the biggest kid-led global fads of 2025. In case you managed to miss it, 6-7 is a slang term u2013 spoken aloud as u201csix seve","copyrightYear":"2026","articleSection":"Education","articleBody":"nnntttttnntttttnntttttnnMany adults are breathing a sigh of relief as the 6-7 meme fades away as one of the biggest kid-led global fads of 2025.nIn case you managed to miss it, 6-7 is a slang term u2013 spoken aloud as u201csix sevenu201d u2013 accompanied by an arm gesture that mimics someone weighing something in their hands.nIt has no real meaning, but it spawned countless videos across various platforms and infiltrated schools and homes across the globe. Shouts of u201c6-7u201d disrupted classrooms and rained down at sporting events. Think pieces proliferated.nnFor the most part, adults responded with mild annoyance and confusion.nBut as media scholars who study childrenu2019s culturewe didnu2019t view the meme with bewilderment or exasperation. Instead, we thought back to our own childhoods on three different continents u2013 and all the secret languages we spoke.nThere was Pig Latin. The cool u201cSu201d doodled on countless worksheets and bathroom stalls. Forming an L-shape with our thumb and index finger to insult someone. Remixing the words of hand-clapping games from previous generations.n6-7 is only the latest example of these long-standing practices u2013 and though the gesture might not mean much to adults, it says a lot about childrenu2019s play, their social lives and their desire for power.nThe irresistible allure of 6-7nYou can see this longing for power in classic play like spying on adults and in games like u201cking of the hill.u201dnA typical school day involves a tight schedule of adult-directed activities; kids have little time or space for agency.nKids spend much of their days watched and controlled u2013 and will jump at the chance to turn the tables. (H.Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock via Getty Images)nBut during those in-between times when children are able to stealthily evade adult surveillance u2013 on playgroundson the internet and even when stuck at home during the pandemic u2013 childrenu2019s culture can thrive. In these spaces, they can make the rules. They set the terms. And if it confuses adults, all the better.nAs 6-7 went viral, teachers complained that random outbursts by their students were interrupting their lessons. Some started avoiding asking any kind of question that might result in an answer of 67. The trend migrated from schools to sports arenas and restaurants: In-N-Out Burger ended up banning the number 67 from their ticket ordering system.nThe meaninglessness of 6-7 made it easy to create a sense of inclusion and exclusion u2013 and to annoy adults, who strained to decipher hidden meanings. In the U.S., siblings and friends dressed as the numbers 6-7 for Halloween. And in Australia, it was rumored that houses with 6-7 in their address were going for astronomical prices.nRemixing games and rhymesnSince before World War I, historians have documented childrenu2019s use of secret languages like u201cback slang,u201d which happens when words are phonetically spoken backwards. And nonsense words and phrases have long proliferated in childrenu2019s culture: Recent examples include u201cbooyah,u201d u201cskibidiu201d and u201ctalk to the hand.u201dn6-7 also coincides with a long history of children revising, adapting and remixing games and rhymes.nFor example, in our three countries u2013 the U.S., Australia and South Korea u2013 weu2019ve encountered endless variations of the game of u201ctag.u201d Sometimes the chasers pretend to be the dementors from Harry Potter. Other times the chasers have pretended to be the COVID-19 virus. Or weu2019ll see them incorporate their immediate surroundings, like designating playground equipment as u201chomeu201d or u201csafe.u201dnSimilar games can spread among children around the world. In South Korea, u201cMugunghwa kkochi pieotseumnidau201d u2013 which roughly translates to u201cThe rose of Sharon has bloomed,u201d a reference to South Koreau2019s national flower u2013 is similar to the game u201cRed Light, Green Lightu201d in English-speaking countries. In the game u201cHwang-ma!,u201d South Korean children in the early aughts shouted the word and playfully struck a peer upon seeing a rare, gold-colored cara game similar to u201cPunch Buggyu201d and u201cSlug Bugu201d in the U.S. and Australia.nVariations of u2018Red Light, Green Lightu2019 exist around the world.Jarek Tuszyu0144ski/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SAnHistorically, children have reworked rhymes and clapping games to draw on popular culture of the day. u201cGeorgie Best, Superstar,u201d sung to the tune of u201cJesus Christ Superstar,u201d was a popular chant on U.K. playgrounds in the 1970s that celebrated the legendary soccer player George Best. And a variation of the clapping game u201cI went to a Chinese Restaurantu201d included the lyrics u201cMy name is, Elvis Presley, girls are sexy, Sitting on the back seat, drinking Pepsi.u201dnMaking space for childrenu2019s culturenOne reason 6-7 became so popular is the low barrier to entry: Saying u201c6-7u201d and doing the accompanying hand movement is easy to pick up and translate into different cultural contexts. The simplicity of the meme allowed young Korean children to repeat the phrase in English. And deaf children have participated by signing the meme.nBecause the social worlds of children now exist across a range of online spaces, 6-7 has been able to seamlessly spread and evolve. On the gaming platform Roblox, for example, children can create avatars that resemble 6-7 and play games that feature the numbers.nThe strange words, nonsensical games and creative play of your childhood might seem ridiculous today. But thereu2019s real value in these hidden worlds.nWith or without access to the internet, children will continue to transform language and games to suit their needs u2013 which, yes, includes getting under the skin of adults.nA great deal of attention is given to the omnipresence of digital technologies in childrenu2019s lives, but we think itu2019s worth taking a moment to appreciate the way children are using these technologies to innovate and connect in ways both creative and mundane.nRebekah WillettProfessor in the Information School, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Amanda LevidoLecturer, Southern Cross Universityand Hyeon-Seon JeongProfessor of Digital Media Education, Gyeongin National University of Educationnn !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;n t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,n document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');n fbq('init', '626037510879173'); // 626037510879173n fbq('track', 'PageView');n rnrnrnrnrnDisclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. rnWe do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.rnrnrnrnrnrnAuthor: Rebekah Willett and Amanda Levido and Hyeon-Seon JeongrnPublished on: 2026-01-17 18:01:00rnSource: www.the74million.orgrnrn","publisher":{"@id":"#Publisher","@type":"Organization","name":"uaetodaynews","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/images-e1759081190269.png"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/uaetodaynewscom","https://www.pinterest.com/uaetodaynews/","https://www.instagram.com/uaetoday_news_com/"]},"sourceOrganization":{"@id":"#Publisher"},"copyrightHolder":{"@id":"#Publisher"},"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://uaetodaynews.com/the-6-7-craze-offered-a-brief-window-into-the-hidden-world-of-children-the-74/","breadcrumb":{"@id":"#Breadcrumb"}},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"uaetodaynews","url":"https://uaetodaynews.com/author/arabsongmedia-net/"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/children-in-Windsor-street-county-playing-games-825x495.jpg","width":1200,"height":495}}

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Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.

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Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2026-01-18 01:32:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com