More short video use was linked with poorer attention and mental health
A large review found associations across younger and adult samples, without showing that video use caused the differences.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Greater short-form video use was associated with poorer cognition and mental health, with attention and inhibitory control showing particularly strong links within the cognitive results. The review did not find associations with body image or self-esteem. These findings describe relationships across studies; they do not establish that watching short videos caused the measured difficulties.
The abstract gives no study-level designs, follow-up periods, or confidence intervals for pooled correlations. Few studies examined cognitive domains other than attention and inhibitory control.
What researchers found
Poorer overall cognition with greater use
Pooled correlation comparing higher with lower short-form video use; assessment timeframe was not reported.
What the number means
A correlation describes how measurements vary together. The negative sign here accompanies poorer cognitive outcomes with greater use; it is not a percentage loss of ability or proof of a causal effect.
Different outcomes showed different patterns
Stress and anxiety had the strongest mental health associations. Results were broadly consistent across platforms and age groups, but the absence of a detected body image or self-esteem link does not establish no effect.
The original publication
Feeds, feelings, and focus: A systematic review and meta-analysis examining the cognitive and mental health correlates of short-form video use.
Nguyen L, Walters J, Paul S et al.
Psychol Bull · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41231585
- Record checked
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