Short-form video and attention: a large correlation, no proof of cause
A 2025 meta-analysis of 71 studies linked heavier short-form video use to poorer attention and inhibitory control, but almost all the data were cross-sectional.
The short version
People who watch more short-form video — TikTok, Reels, Shorts — tend to have poorer attention and impulse control. This large 2025 meta-analysis found that link consistently across ages and platforms. What it cannot tell us is which way the arrow points: whether scrolling weakens attention, whether people with weaker attention scroll more, or both.
What the researchers did
Nguyen and colleagues gathered 71 studies with a combined 98,299 participants that measured both short-form video use and cognitive or mental-health outcomes. They pooled the correlations and checked whether the pattern varied between young people and adults and across platforms. The paper was published in Psychological Bulletin, a leading journal for reviews.
What they found
- A moderate link with poorer cognition. Heavier use was associated with worse cognitive outcomes overall.
- Attention and inhibitory control were hit hardest. The strongest associations were with attention (r = −0.38) and inhibitory control — the ability to hold back an impulse (r = −0.41).
- A weaker link with mental health. The strongest mental-health associations were with stress and anxiety. There was no link with body image or self-esteem.
- The pattern was broad. It held across youth and adult samples and across different platforms.
Limits and caveats
Almost all of the underlying studies were cross-sectional snapshots, and few controlled for general social media or screen use. That means the results are correlations, not proof that short-form video causes weaker attention. Few studies looked at other abilities such as memory or reasoning, and the authors call for research on how different kinds of content shape the link. For causal evidence on phones and attention, the stronger study is a randomized trial of blocking mobile internet (Castelo et al., 2025).
What it means for how you work
Treat this as a reason to experiment, not to panic. If you notice that you reach for short videos during breaks or between tasks, try replacing them with something that has better evidence behind it — a walk, a look outside, or simply time away from a screen — and watch whether your next focus block goes better. Comparing your own focus over a couple of weeks, with and without the scrolling, will tell you more about your situation than a population-level correlation can.