Short-video addiction associated with risky decisions, Chinese study finds
People who show signs of addiction to short-form videos on apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels may be less sensitive to financial losses and tend to make quicker, more impulsive decisions. This is according to a team of Chinese researchers who published their brain imaging study in NeuroImage, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports, citing PsyPost.
The authors from Tianjin Normal University explained that while traditional addictions, such as gambling, alcohol, or drugs, are known to reduce a person’s ability to weigh potential losses and gains, the impact of everyday digital habits like endless short-video scrolling has received far less attention.
For the study, researchers recruited 36 university students aged 18 to 24. Each participant completed a questionnaire assessing symptoms of short-video addiction, such as compulsive viewing, difficulty controlling use, and negative consequences from excessive screen time.
The students then performed a task involving hypothetical monetary bets while undergoing functional MRI scans, allowing the team to measure how sensitive they were to potential losses compared to gains.
The analysis found that those with stronger signs of addiction showed reduced “loss aversion”, the tendency to view losses as more significant than equivalent gains, which usually helps protect people from risky decisions. In short-video addicts, this protective effect was weakened. Their decisions were also faster and involved less deliberation, indicating greater impulsivity.
Brain scans revealed differences in activity within regions linked to self-reflection, behavioral control, and value assessment, particularly the precuneus, where activity was lower in participants with higher addiction symptoms. Conversely, when evaluating potential losses, these individuals showed heightened activity in the cerebellum and postcentral gyrus, areas involved in motor and sensory processing.
According to Professor Qiang Wang, a psychologist and lead author of the study, these brain changes may help explain why people underestimate the long-term risks of constant short-video viewing, such as wasted time, sleep problems, and deteriorating mental health, while focusing on immediate gratification.
He described short-video addiction as a “public health threat,” noting that in China, users spend an average of 151 minutes a day on such apps, with 95.5% of internet users regularly engaging with these platforms.
However, the researchers cautioned that their study has limitations. The sample was small and limited to young university students, and the task used was hypothetical, meaning it may not fully capture the emotional and social dynamics of real-world short-video consumption.
Looking ahead, the team plans to develop a risk prediction model for short-video addiction based on brain imaging and to further explore its molecular mechanisms. Wang emphasized that understanding these processes could help create effective prevention and treatment strategies for digital addictions in the future.
Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported on how digital detox transforms the brain.