Research on the long-term impacts of short-form video consumption is still lacking, but recent studies show concerning associations with cognition and mental health.

Research on the long-term impacts of short-form video consumption is still lacking, but recent studies show concerning associations with cognition and mental health.

With short-form video now dominant on social media, researchers are racing to understand how the highly engaging, algorithm-driven format may be reshaping the brain.

From TikTok to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, short-form video content has become a cornerstone of just about every online platform, including LinkedIn and even Substack. But increasingly, studies are finding associations between heavy consumption of short-form video and challenges with focus and self-control.

The research, though still early, seems to echo widespread concerns over “brain rot,” an internet slang term that the Oxford University Press defines as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state.” (The term became so mainstream that the academic publishing house crowned it as its 2024 word of the year.)

  • drail@fedia.io
    451·
    22 hours ago

    I avoided shorts on YT religiously, but as people sent them to me and they became more tuned to my preferences, I began absent mindedly scrolling them. I fucking hated it, I would realize I had wasted so much time idly swiping. I started running revanced specifically to turn that shit off on my phone so that the temptation wouldn’t exist. So happy with my decision. I don’t think it rotted my brain, but it made my phone a landmine for shit content, scammy ads, and wasted time.