Major Study Linksโฃ TikTok & Instagram Reels to Declining Attention Spans, โIncreased Anxiety
November 18,โ 2025 – A complete new study analyzingโ 71 studies and data fromโ over 98,000โ individuals has found a significant โขcorrelation between frequent consumption of short-form video (SFV) contentโค – like TikTok and Instagram reels – and โฃdiminished attention spans, reduced โคself-control, and increased levels of stress and anxiety.โค The research, published by the American psychological Association, suggests a “dual-process theory”โ at play, โคwhereโ repeated exposure to fast-paced content can desensitize users to slower, more demanding cognitive tasks.
According to the study, this habituation “may gradually reduce cognitive endurance โคand weaken the brain’s ability to sustain attention on a single task.” Together, the platforms’ algorithmically curated rewards can promote “sensitization,” reinforcing impulsive engagement and a craving for instant gratification.
“According to this framework, repeated exposure to highly stimulating,โฃ fast-paced content mayโ contribute to habituation, in whichโ users become desensitized to slower, more effortful cognitive tasks such as reading, problem solving, or deep โlearning,” the study reads.
The findings extend beyond attention, linking โคexcessiveโ SFVโ use โto social isolation, โlower life satisfaction, and potential negative impacts on self-esteem and bodyโข image – though researchers acknowledge furtherโข investigation is needed in the latter area. Poorer sleep, increased anxiety, and feelings of loneliness were also consistently associated with higher โSFV consumption.
These side โeffects, researchersโข note, mirror those seenโ with physically โฃaddictive substances, leading them to develop a new scale to measure addiction to SFV content for use in future research.
“these findings highlight the importanceโข of understanding the broader health implications of โSFV use, given its pervasive role in โฃdaily life and potential to impact health, behavior, and well-being,”โข the researchers state. “Byโ synthesizing current evidence, this study provides a critical foundation for future research to explore understudied health domains โ(e.g., cognitive health, physical health) and offers insights to guide publicโฃ discourse and the progressโฃ of research-informed approachesโ for promoting more balancedโ engagement with โSFVs.”
The study’s conclusions echo concernsโข about the potential for “brain rot” caused by the constant stream of short-form videos,as โhighlighted by Modernity News.
The full study is available for download from apa.org: โข https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2026-89350-001.pdf
