Is brain rot real? Researchers warn of emerging risks tied to short-form video

With short-form video now dominant on social media, researchers are racing to understand how the highly engaging, algorithm-driven format may be reshaping the brain

With short-form video now dominant on social media, researchers are racing to understand how the highly engaging, algorithm-driven format may be reshaping the brain.

From TikTok to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, short-form video content has become a cornerstone of just about every online platform, including LinkedIn and even Substack. But increasingly, studies are finding associations between heavy consumption of short-form video and challenges with focus and self-control.

The research, though still early, seems to echo widespread concerns over “brain rot,” an internet slang term that the Oxford University Press defines as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state.” (The term became so mainstream that the academic publishing house crowned it as its 2024 word of the year.)

A September review of 71 studies with a total of nearly 100,000 participants found that heavy consumption of short-form video was associated with poorer cognition, especially in regard to attention spans and impulse control, based on a combination of behavioral tests and self-reported data.

The review, published in Psychological Bulletin, a journal of the American Psychological Association, also found links between heavy consumption of the videos and increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and loneliness.