Short-form videos linked to reduced attention and self-control, study finds
Feb 28th 2026
A Zhejiang University study published in Frontiers used behavioral tests and EEG to find that heavier use of TikTok-style short videos is associated with reduced self-control, poorer executive attention, and lower frontal midline brain activity, but the small, correlational design limits causal claims.
- 48 participants (35 women, 13 men), mean age 21.8, all regular short-video users were studied.
- Researchers used questionnaires, self-control and impulsivity scales, a 192-trial Attention Network Test, and EEG recordings.
- Higher reported short-form video use correlated with lower self-control and poorer executive attention performance.
- EEG data showed weaker frontal midline prefrontal cortex activity in heavier short-video consumers.
- The study is correlational, small, and relies on self-report, so it does not prove that short videos cause attention problems and needs replication.