This Is What Happens To The Brain If You Watch Short Video Content Frequently

Illustration of watching short videos. (Pexels/Ron Lach)

JAKARTA - Currently, short-duration video content (SFV) is increasingly popular and almost all social media platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram, to YouTube. This can actually have an impact on the health of the human brain.

A recent study revealed that a meeting is quite worrying regarding the habit of watching short content. Although it looks trivial, this habit turns out to have a real impact on the way the brain works.

The researchers analyzed the huge data from 98,299 participants and 71 cross-platform studies, to see how big the impact would be. In its report, the researchers wrote that the rise of the SFV had changed the social media landscape.

These changes occur in entertainment content to education, political campaigns, and advertising. However, the design relies on infinite scrolling that raises new concerns, namely digital addiction and long-term health impacts.

After analyzing nearly 100 thousand teenage user data, the results cannot be taken lightly. It was found that high consumption of SFV is related to the decline in social capacity, both in young and adult groups.

In addition, intense use is also related to the increasing risk of depression, anxiety, stress, and deep loneliness.

"Silus receiving new content that continues to stimulate emotions can trigger the release of dopamine and form a habit circle that makes users increasingly depend on digital interactions," wrote the research team, quoted from Unilad, on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.

The habit of watching short videos affects the brain, which increases stress and anxiety, is caused by users who have difficulty managing emotions in their real life.