YouTube is also in on the 6 - 7 meme, and users figured out how to trigger it

YouTube has officially joined the internet’s most divisive trend of the moment: the 6-7 meme. The platform is now showing users a special pop-up when they become the 67th person to like a video on Shorts, complete with confetti animations and the now-infamous “six seven” text treatment.

Users discovered the Easter egg over the past two weeks, with reports flooding Reddit about the unexpected pop-up appearing mid-scroll. The feature seems to trigger exclusively when you’re the 67th like on a Short, displaying the “Shrug” emoji alongside the words “six seven.”

This isn’t YouTube’s first rodeo with viral Easter eggs. The platform has a history of jumping on internet trends, from the Harlem Shake animation to the “Use the Force, Luke” command that made videos levitate on screen. The company clearly sees meme integration as part of its playbook for staying culturally relevant.

But the response from users has been… mixed, to put it charitably. One Reddit user posted: “I feel like it’s a stupid meme and when a big company makes jokes about it becomes more stupid and cringe.” The thread exploded with comments ranging from mild annoyance to genuine distress, with one user pleading for someone to “please shoot me.”

YouTube isn’t alone in embracing the 6-7 phenomenon. Google Search recently added its own Easter egg for the meme, which we covered earlier this month. The coordination suggests this is a company-wide effort from Alphabet to capitalize on Gen Alpha’s latest obsession.

The irony isn’t lost on YouTube’s user base. While creators struggle with arbitrary strikes and demonetization, YouTube apparently has engineering resources to dedicate to meme features. As one commenter put it: “YouTube terminates creators for no reason and doesn’t give a fuck. But do this shit.”

Adding fuel to the fire is a viral song from a young kid named Ryan, who’s begging everyone to move on from the meme in his track “Stop saying 67 it is almost 2026.” The freestyle rap, posted on YouTube just days ago, has exploded with hundreds of thousands of views, likes pouring in, and a comment section flooded nonstop — ironically, many still spamming “67.”

People are even spreading the video on Reddit and Instagram, attracting thousands of eyeballs to Ryan’s song. Ryan even dropped a reaction video to his own hit, calling parts “cringe” while singing along proudly.

For those unfamiliar with the 6-7 meme, it’s essentially Gen Alpha’s equivalent of previous generations’ equally inexplicable viral moments. Think of it as this era’s “E” meme or “Badger Badger Badger” – completely nonsensical but somehow inescapable.

The good news? History suggests that once major corporations adopt internet memes, their shelf life dramatically shortens. As multiple users noted, this feature might actually be the beginning of the end for 6-7. When YouTube gets involved, you know the meme’s days are numbered.

There’s currently no way to disable the popup, so if you’re not a fan, you’ll just have to avoid being the 67th person to like anything.