An analysis of dozens of studies involving almost 100,000 participants found that exposure to short-form videos (SFVs) like those on TikTok and Instagram is contributing to a host of mental health conditions.
The work, published by the American Psychological Association, said the effects included poorer cognition (attention, inhibitory control, language, memory, etc.) and a decline in many mental health indices.
“These findings were consistent across youth and adult samples and across different SFV platforms,” the researchers wrote
, titled: “Feeds, feelings, and focus: A systematic review and meta-analysis examining the cognitive and mental health correlates of short-form video use.”
The researchers noted that while initially geared toward entertainment, SFVs are increasingly being used in education, political campaigns, advertising and consumerism. “Yet their design, characterized by endless scrolling interfaces, has raised concerns about addiction and negative health implications.”
On the topic of cognition skills, the researchers found that “repeated exposure to highly stimulating, fast-paced content may contribute to habituation, in which users become desensitized to slower, more effortful cognitive tasks such as reading, problem solving, or deep learning.”
They added: “This process may gradually reduce cognitive endurance and weaken the brain’s ability to sustain attention on a single task.”
In the area of mental health, they noted that SFV use has been associated with increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and loneliness.
“The highly engaging, algorithm-driven nature of SFV platforms is thought to encourage excessive use by stimulating the brain’s dopaminergic reward system, which may reinforce habitual engagement through instant gratification and unpredictable content rewards,” they wrote.
“This habitual engagement may be associated with heightened stress and anxiety, as some users report difficulties disengaging and regulating their emotions in offline settings,” they continued.
“Additionally, the immersive and infinite-scrolling nature of SFVs has been linked to increased social isolation by replacing real-world interactions with passive digital engagement, exacerbating feelings of loneliness.” This, in turn, has been correlated with lower life satisfaction.
Sleep quality was also seen to be affected, perhaps due to the blue light emitted by electronic devices. This was further linked to changes in mood.
The researchers were surprised by one finding, however. “Unexpectedly, our meta-analysis found no association between SFV engagement and body esteem or self-esteem, which contrasts with prior reviews,” they wrote.
They suggested that some previous studies linking social media use and self-esteem were too simple in their questions, and that while others found a negative impact, they were balanced by separate studies that noted a positive effect on users.
“The inconsistency across studies suggests that the association between SFV use and body/self-esteem may be highly dependent on individual differences and exposure to different types of SFV content,” they wrote, suggesting further research was needed to “disentangle these factors.”
Overall, they wrote, “these findings highlight the importance of understanding the broader health implications of SFV use, given its pervasive role in daily life and potential to impact health, behavior, and well-being.”
They added: “As SFV platforms continue to evolve and expand across educational, commercial, and social contexts, understanding the health correlates of SFV engagement remains an important focus for digital health research, particularly for guiding balanced approaches to media use and informing future public health recommendations.”