Chinese scientists conducted a study and concluded that excessive viewing of short videos - such as those published on the TikTok, Reels (Meta) and Shorts (YouTube) platforms - is addictive. In addition, fascination with such content can negatively affect a person’s cognitive function and mental health..

The results of the study were published on the scientific portal Sciencedirect. To conduct the experiment, scientists gathered a group of 111 participants aged 17 to 30 years old who had no mental problems.

Using a Siemens 3T Prisma scanner at the MRI Research Center of Tianjin Normal University, they examined changes in the brains of subjects during long periods of watching short videos on TikTok, Reels and Shorts.

For two months in a row, every day for 95 minutes they were shown videos from these social networks.

The results of the experiment showed the following:.

– the experimental subjects decreased the volume of gray matter in the orbitofrontal cortex by 2.3% over two months;

– sleep quality decreased by 30%, and 50% of participants experienced insomnia;

– the students’ ability to concentrate significantly decreased – instead of the expected 2.5 minutes, participants were able to concentrate for only 47 seconds;

– the test subjects showed signs of mental disorders – half of the participants were diagnosed with depression requiring treatment and other anxiety conditions.

At the genetic level, researchers have identified more than 500 genes that are linked to brain changes associated with short video addiction.. These genes were mainly involved in synaptic signaling and neural connections, processes essential for communication and brain plasticity.

In conclusion, the scientists noted that excessive consumption of short-format video content can have serious consequences for people. In addition to mental health, vision is also at risk.