Tiktoks, Reels and Shorts are addictive and cause brain damage - study

Chinese scientists concluded that excessive viewing of short videos, such as those posted on TikTok, Instagram (Reels), and YouTube (Shorts), is addictive, in new study. Moreover, such an obsession can negatively affect cognitive functions and mental health.

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

Using a Siemens 3T Prisma scanner at the MRI Research Center of Tianjin Normal University, they studied changes in the subjects' brains during long-term viewing of short videos on the said social networks.

They were watching videos 95 minutes every day for two months in a row.

The results of the experiment showed the following:

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

- the quality of sleep decreased by 30%, and 50% of the participants developed insomnia;

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

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

At the genetic level, the researchers identified more than 500 genes that are linked to brain changes associated with short video addiction. In general, they were those involved in synaptic signaling and neural connections, processes necessary for communication and brain plasticity.

As a result, scientists noted that excessive consumption of short-form video content can have serious consequences for people. In addition to mental health, eyesight is also at risk.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!