The growing habit of watching short-form videos on social media platforms is contributing to attention problems, loss of time perception and addictive behavior patterns, according to a study shared by Turkish Green Crescent (Yeşilay) and expert evaluations.
The study, titled “The Negative Impact of Short Video Use on Attention Functions: An EEG Study” and conducted by a university in China, found that individuals with a high tendency toward short video addiction showed a significant decrease in theta wave activity in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which reflects executive control mechanisms.
According to the findings shared by Yeşilay, this condition weakens concentration abilities, while excessive consumption of short videos may also make it harder for individuals to control their impulses.
Clinical Psychologist Dr. Süreyya Kitapçıoğlu, a member of Yeşilay’s Advisory Board, said social media platforms are designed in ways that resemble slot machines and gambling systems.
She explained that these platforms function through reward-cycle mechanisms based on uncertainty. While some videos directly match users’ interests, others appear unexpectedly, continuously stimulating the brain’s reward system and creating anticipation that encourages people to keep scrolling.
Kitapçıoğlu noted that even when users indicate they are not interested in certain content, similar videos may continue appearing before them.
“It activates the reward system through intermittent reinforcement. This encourages people to spend more time on the platform. As they spend more time, their perception of time disappears. Similar to gamblers not remembering how long they have been playing, a comparable situation emerges. This eventually turns into an addiction cycle,” she said.
She also pointed to serious attention-related difficulties among children and young people, adding that both students and teachers are increasingly struggling with concentration in schools.
Highlighting the impact of constant digital stimulation, Kitapçıoğlu said prolonged exposure to multiple online stimuli makes slower and less stimulating tasks feel boring in comparison.
“When you enter any digital ecosystem, the mind receives multiple stimuli simultaneously. Imagine neurons being exposed to numerous stimuli at the same time. When you leave that environment and return to your work, there are far fewer stimuli. For example, if you are working only with a pen and paper, there is just one stimulus. After being exposed to so many stimuli, the mind quickly becomes bored with other tasks,” she said.
Kitapçıoğlu explained that the same pattern is visible among children.
“A child watches a short video and is exposed to many different stimuli. Afterwards, when you ask the same child to study mathematics, there are only books, notebooks and numbers. Since the level of stimulation is not as intense as during video watching, the child begins to feel bored,” she added.
She emphasized that completely abandoning the digital world is not a realistic solution because digital platforms have become deeply integrated into modern life. Instead, she said the more important issue is understanding what kind of content people consume and for what purpose.
“The amount of time spent online by healthy users and addicted users is almost the same. Research shows similar figures regarding usage duration. However, there is one fundamental difference, when and why I am using it. In other words, functionality,” she said.
She concluded, "If I neglect my responsibilities and spend time on social media, then even one hour may be dangerous for me. But if I use it for three hours after finishing my work and spending time with my family, there is no problem. What matters is where I place it in my life and for what purpose I use it.”
