FEEDS, FEELINGS, AND FOCUS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS EXAMINING THE COGNITIVE AND MENTAL HEALTH CORRELATES OF SHORT-FORM VIDEO USE
Lan Nguyen1, Jared Walters2, Siddharth Paul1, Shay Monreal Ijurco1, Georgia E. Rainey1, Nupur Parekh1, Gabriel Blair1, and Miranda Darrah1
1 School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University 2 School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University
Psychol Bulletin. 2025 Sep;151(9):1125-1146. doi: 10.1037/bul0000498.
https://www.psycnet.org/fulltext/2026-89350-001.html
ABSTRACT
The resurgence of short-form videos (SFVs), popularized by TikTok and Douyin, has transformed social media platforms, with features like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts fostering their widespread adoption. Although initially geared toward entertainment, SFVs are increasingly 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. Given the recent surge of studies on SFV apps, a comprehensive synthesis is needed to clarify how SFV use relates to different health indicators. This systematic review and meta-analytic investigation comprised data from 98,299 participants across 71 studies. Increased SFV use was associated with poorer cognition (moderate mean effect size, r = −.34), with attention (r = −.38) and inhibitory control (r = −.41) yielding the strongest associations. Similarly, increased SFV use was associated with poorer mental health (weak mean effect size, r = −.21), with stress (r = −.34) and anxiety (r = −.33) showing the strongest associations. These findings were consistent across youth and adult samples and across different SFV platforms. Relatively few studies examined cognitive domains beyond attention and inhibitory control (e.g., memory, reasoning), highlighting critical directions for future research. Interestingly, SFV use was not associated with body image or self-esteem, which may reflect the diverse content and creators featured on these platforms. Further research is therefore needed to clarify how different types of content exposure may shape these associations. Overall, 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. By synthesizing current evidence, this study provides a critical foundation for future research to explore understudied health domains (e.g., cognitive health, physical health) and offers insights to guide public discourse and the development of research-informed approaches for promoting more balanced engagement with SFVs.
PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
The rise of social media–based short-form videos (SFVs) has revolutionized digital entertainment and communication, making SFVs dominant sources of information and engagement. SFVs are defined as video content lasting a few seconds to a few minutes (Y. Wu et al., 2021; Y. Yang et al., 2024). The appeal of SFV platforms is grounded in their user-friendly design, infinite-scrolling interface, and algorithm-driven recommendations that deliver diverse and immersive content tailored to individual preferences and engagement patterns (Montag et al., 2021; Y. Yang et al., 2024). The accessibility and viral success of SFVs—first popularized by Vine in 2012 (Vandersmissen et al., 2014) and revitalized by TikTok/ Douyin (its Chinese counterpart) in 2016—have driven widespread adoption of SFV content across major social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram (Reels) and YouTube (Shorts). Initially a medium for entertainment, showcasing trends, challenges, and creative content, SFVs have since expanded into consumerism (Guarda et al., 2021), tourism (Roostika & Putri Yumna, 2023), education (Fiallos et al., 2021), and political campaigning (Battista, 2023; Grantham, 2024). The branching of SFVs into various domains has created new opportunities for engagement and communication, but their widespread use has also raised concerns about potential health impacts.
Excessive SFV consumption has generally been associated with poorer cognitive and mental health (e.g., Galanis, Katsiroumpa, Katsiroumpa, et al., 2024), yet evidence is mixed, with some studies reporting null (e.g., Dong & Xie, 2024; López-Gil et al., 2024; Masciantonio et al., 2021; X. Zhang et al., 2019) or even positive associations (Nasidi et al., 2024; Pop et al., 2022). These incon-sistencies, along with the increasing prevalence of SFVs in daily life for both youths and adults (Montag et al., 2021), highlight the need to explore how SFV use may be differentially associated with various health dimensions across different users. The current sys-tematic review and meta-analysis therefore sought to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current literature on SFV use and both cognitive and mental health correlates to identify patterns and inconsistencies and test potential moderating factors that may explain the variability in findings in this growing field of research. Such findings may contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the associations between SFV use and health across the lifespan and help guide future research in this area.
SFVS AND COGNITION
Several studies have highlighted the negative association between heavy SFV use and cognition, particularly attention. Research indicates that higher SFV consumption is linked to poorer attention across both young and older populations (Chao et al., 2023; Q. Huang et al., 2021). This association has also been observed at a neural level, with heavy SFV users exhibiting reduced electro-physiological (P300) activity during attention tasks compared to regular SFV users (Walla & Zheng, 2024).
SFV consumption and its potential influence on attentional processing can be understood through the lens of Groves and Thompson’s (1970) dual theory of habituation and sensitization. According to this framework, 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. This process may gradually reduce cognitive endurance and weaken the brain’s ability to sustain attention on a single task. Simultaneously, SFV platforms may promote sensitization by providing immediate, algorithmically curated rewards, potentially reinforcing impulsive engagement patterns and encouraging habitual seeking of instant gratification (Soror et al., 2022). The ability to swipe to new content could support a pattern of rapid disengagement from stimuli that do not provide immediate novelty or excitement. In line with this theoretical framework, frequent SFV use may diminish attentional control and reduce the capacity for sustained cognitive engagement, as cognitive processing becomes increasingly oriented toward brief, high-reward interactions rather than extended, goal-directed tasks. This habituation and sensitization effect has been hypothesized to extend to other cognitive functions and tasks requiring attention processing, including inhibitory control (Y. Chen et al., 2023; Fu et al., 2024), memory (Sha & Dong, 2021; Xia et al., 2023), and reasoning (Q. Jiang & Ma, 2024), but some studies have reported mixed findings pertaining to SFV use and cognitive performance (e.g., Lin et al., 2024; Xu et al., 2023). For instance, Lin et al. (2024) found that although higher SFV consumption correlated with poorer sustained attention in a cross-sectional study, their long-term experiment showed no significant change following SFV use, contributing to mixed findings on its cognitive correlates. Furthermore, it is also unclear whether SFV use is consistently related to other cognitive processes (e.g., fluid intelligence, processing speed, visuospatial ability). Thus, a comprehensive syn-thesis is warranted to gain a clearer understanding of which cognitive processes SFV use may be associated with and to identify areas requiring further research.
SFVS AND MENTAL HEALTH
SFV use has also been associated with negative mental health indicators, particularly increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness (e.g., Galanis, Katsiroumpa, Katsiroumpa, et al., 2024). 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 (Y. Chen et al., 2023; Goldon, 2024). The continuous cycle of swiping and receiving new, emotionally stimulating content has been proposed to trigger dopamine release, creating a reinforcement loop that contributes to patterns of habitual use and greater emotional reliance on digital interactions. This habitual engagement may be associated with heightened stress and anxiety, as some users
report difficulties disengaging and regulating their emotions in offline settings (Peng et al., 2022). 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 (Goldon, 2024). Such reliance on online interactions has also been correlated with lower life satisfaction (Chung, 2022; Zuo et al., 2024). These as-sociations between SFV use and mental health have been reported across youths, young adults, and middle-aged adults (Gentzler et al., 2023; Q. Huang et al., 2021; D. Zhang, Yang, & Guan, 2024), though some studies have reported no association between SFV use and mental health indices (e.g., X. Zhang et al., 2019). Thus, further quantitative synthesis of the existing research is required to better understand the nature and consistency of these associations.
In addition to mood-related mental health correlates, studies have reported negative associations between SFV use and sleep quality. In particular, the consumption of SFVs in the hours before bedtime has been linked to disrupted sleep quality due to the blue light emitting from electronic devices, which may inhibit the production of melatonin and serotonin—key hormones involved in regulating circadian rhythms (Gomes & Preto, 2015). Disruption of the body’s sleep–wake cycle has been associated with poorer sleep quality, which may also be linked to changes in mood (Y. Li et al., 2025; Newton & Poluan, 2022). Some studies, however, have reported no association between SFV use and sleep quality (e.g., Y. Ye et al., 2024). This inconsistency highlights the need for a meta-analysis to synthesize existing research, account for methodological differences, and determine the overall strength of the relationship between SFV use and sleep quality.
Mixed findings have also been reported for self-esteem and body image. Some studies report positive associations between SFV use and self/body esteem (Asad et al., 2022; Hendrikse & Limniou, 2024), whereas others report negative associations (Alshaikhi et al., 2023; Ibn Auf et al., 2023). Frequent exposure to curated, appearance-focused content may reinforce unrealistic beauty stan-dards and social comparison (Ariana et al., 2024; Harriger et al., 2023), but SFV platforms also promote body positivity and diverse representation, which may enhance self-acceptance and empowerment (Dhadly et al., 2023). Additionally, active participation in content creation may either support self-esteem through creative expression and social validation, or it may relate to self-consciousness and reliance on external approval (Haug et al., 2024; Marengo et al., 2021). Thus, although some studies link SFV use to lower self-esteem and body dissatisfaction, others report positive associations with self-perception and identity exploration, highlighting the need for further examination of how SFV use relates to self-esteem.
Given the equivocal evidence on SFV use and mental health, the present review aimed to clarify patterns within the existing evidence base and explore factors that may account for variability in findings. This study synthesizes empirical evidence to test potential moderating factors that may shape the direction and strength of associations between SFV engagement and mental health indicators, providing a clearer understanding of the conditions under which such associations are most likely to emerge.
PREVIOUS SYNTHESES OF LITERATURE
With the surge in research exploring the impact of SFV use on health, numerous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted. Conte et al.’s (2025) systematic review explored the relationship between TikTok usage and mental health in adolescents. Across the 20 articles included, TikTok use was generally associated with poorer mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms, addiction, anger issues, loneliness, lower self-esteem, and reduced life satisfaction). Yet the absence of a quantitative synthesis limited the review’s ability to determine the strength of these associations. Additionally, Gabrielle et al. (2024) conducted a meta-analysis on the association between social media use and mental health in adolescents, reporting a weak, negative association between TikTok use and mental health indices (depressive and anxiety symptoms). Critically, both reviews focused exclusively on adolescents, leaving it unclear whether findings generalize to adults, whose cognitive (Ferguson et al., 2021) and emotional (Vink et al., 2014) development may alter associations between SFV use and health.
Addressing this gap, Galanis, Katsiroumpa, Katsiroumpa, et al. (2024) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis including both adolescent and adult samples to evaluate the association between TikTok use and mental health. Consistent with previous findings, their review of 16 articles revealed associations between TikTok use and poorer mental health (depression and anxiety). However, despite including broader age ranges, the review did not assess whether age moderated this relationship. Further research examining the moderating role of age is therefore warranted.
Although findings from prior syntheses provide insight into the link between SFV use and mental health, they focus solely on TikTok. Such a focus may misrepresent actual SFV use as social media users often engage with multiple SFV platforms. Moreover, due to government restrictions, some countries cannot access TikTok and instead rely on alternatives (e.g., Douyin, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts). Excluding studies on these platforms or on general SFV use limits the generalizability of findings in this field. In addition, prior syntheses have primarily examined SFV use in relation to mental health, neglecting other domains, such as cognition. Correlates of SFV use beyond mental health therefore remain underrepresented. A more holistic synthesis of SFV use and both cognitive and mental health is therefore warranted to provide a broader understanding of its implications, test potential moderators, and clarify inconsistencies in the literature.
THE CURRENT META-ANALYTIC INVESTIGATION
Addressing key limitations in prior syntheses, the current systematic review and meta-analytic investigation provides one of the most comprehensive and extensive syntheses to date on the associations between SFV use and both cognitive and mental health. Drawing on a large and diverse body of research, this investigation examines SFVs beyond TikTok (including general SFV use). This study also explores different indices of SFV engagement (e.g., SFV addiction, frequency, intensity, general usage), allowing for a more nuanced exploration of how different patterns of use may relate to distinct health domains. Another key feature of this review is its inclusion of a variety of cognitive (e.g., attention, executive functioning, memory) and mental health indices (e.g., depression, anxiety, body image), enabling a comprehensive assessment of whether specific health domains are more consistently associated with SFV use than others. Additionally, this review explores several potential moderators, including age group, providing the first meta-analytic evidence of whether the relationship between SFV use and health differs between youths and adults. By synthesizing findings across these dimensions, this investigation offers a comprehensive overview of current evidence and identifies gaps and inconsistencies in the literature. The findings of this review will inform future research priorities and contribute to the development of targeted, age-appropriate strategies for understanding and supporting healthy engagement with SFV content.