About

New Gen Will Never Understand This Pic is a catchphrase used in a series of memes that show an AI-generated frame from a viral video or well-known meme under the caption, "New gen will never understand this pic," suggesting people who are too young to have seen the original won't understand the context of the image or get the reference. The meme was popularized on social media in early July 2025, starting on TikTok and spreading that month. Some examples of the meme notably use the AI Studio Ghibli style.

Origin

On July 1st, 2025, TikToker^[1] @mb.ftbb posted a slideshow video consisting of an AI-generated frame from the 2021 viral video "W2S kicks a football in his Mums face"^[2] under the caption, "New gen will never understand this pic," garnering over 13 million views in a week. This is the earliest known example of the meme.

Spread

The trend garnered viral spread over the following days in early July 2025, spreading outside of TikTok to various sites, including X / Twitter and Instagram, later that week.

On July 4th, 2025, TikToker^[3] @mil.gp posted a version of the meme using a frame from the viral video^[4] and meme known as "Why You Coming Fast," garnering over 20 million views in four days.

That same day, Instagram^[5] user ut_capitalist reposted the original version of the meme, garnering over 2,000 likes in four days.

On July 5th, TikToker^[6] @lachenmachtlustig posted a version of the meme showing a frame from a viral video of a man holding up a bottle of shampoo and saying, "Shampoo,"^[7] garnering over 5.7 million views in three days.

The meme was also reposted by Instagram^[8] user robii.meme on July 6th, garnering over 3,500 likes in two days.

On July 7th, 2025, X^[9] user @UTDKara posted a version of the meme using an AI-generated frame from a video of football player Cristiano Ronaldo pranking people by dressing as a homeless person,^[10] garnering over 157,000 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References