Spending too much time watching short videos on social media is associated with a series of psychological changes that predict lower overall life satisfaction. New research published psychology journal provide evidence that problematic use of short video platforms leads to increased feelings of loneliness, which in turn leads to increased anxiety and decreased life satisfaction.
Researchers Tuğba Türk Kurtça and Muhammet Can Doğru conducted a study to understand the psychological mechanisms that link watching short videos and subjective well-being. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts provide a continuous feed of highly personalized content. Algorithms deliver this media in rapid and random sequences, creating a reward structure that makes it difficult for users to exercise self-control.
Over time, this loss of control can develop into a short video addiction. This particular type of digital habit is defined by people who spend an excessive amount of time watching short clips, despite the negative impact it has on their daily lives. The researchers noted that empirical research investigating the long-term effects of this particular addiction on life satisfaction remains limited.
“Although short video platforms are growing very rapidly, we noticed that most studies focused on general social media or cross-sectional data. There was a clear gap in our understanding of how short video addiction affects well-being over time. We wanted to investigate not only whether there is an effect, but also the psychological processes behind it, in particular the role of loneliness and anxiety,” explained Associate Professor Kulcha from the University of Trakya.
To address this gap, researchers framed their study around two established psychological concepts. The first is the substitution hypothesis. This suggests that time spent online directly replaces time spent in meaningful offline activities and face-to-face interactions. When screens consume a person’s time and cognitive resources, they lose emotional support in the real world.
The second concept is self-determination theory, which posits that humans need a sense of autonomy, competence, and social connectedness to function optimally. Scientists suspected that watching addictive short videos was interfering with these basic psychological needs. They designed a study to see if a range of psychological distress could explain how digital habits undermine life satisfaction.
Much of the previous research on digital habits has relied on cross-sectional surveys that capture only one snapshot in time. By collecting data at two different time points, researchers were able to better determine the directional order of these psychological changes. This semi-longitudinal approach helps scientists uncover which emotional states precede others.
The scientists used a two-wave design to track changes over time. This approach allowed us to observe the direction of psychological change over a standard 3-month college semester. They recruited the first group of participants in February 2025 and followed up in May 2025.
The final sample included 234 participants, 183 women and 51 men, with a mean age of 22 years. Most of the participants were current university students. This group reported spending approximately two and a half hours each day watching short videos, primarily on platforms such as Instagram Reels and TikTok.
The researchers measured four specific variables at both time points using established questionnaires. To assess brief video addiction, they asked participants to rate statements about losing track of time and being unable to reduce video usage. The researchers assessed loneliness by asking participants to rate their feelings of social rejection and emotional isolation.
Anxiety levels were measured using specific emotional stress scales that measure feelings of loss of control and anticipation of threat. Finally, the researchers assessed life satisfaction. It is defined as the extent to which a person’s current reality harmoniously matches their expectations. Participants rated their overall satisfaction with their living environment.
By analyzing three months of data, the researchers identified a series of psychological pathways. They found that high levels of short video addiction at the start of the study predicted increased feelings of loneliness three months later. The quick, superficial entertainment that short videos provide tends to be replaced by the deep, trusting relationships of superficial online networks.
This initial feeling of isolation then cascaded into further emotional difficulties. Participants who experienced higher levels of loneliness at the beginning of the study reported increased anxiety by the second measurement. Feeling isolated deprives you of social support, makes you feel excluded, and increases your sensitivity to environmental stressors.
Finally, researchers found that increased anxiety was associated with significantly lower subsequent life satisfaction. When anxiety increases, it interferes with daily life and makes it difficult to have positive expectations for the future. As a result, individuals are unable to view their lives holistically and positively.
“What stood out was a continuous pattern: Loneliness and anxiety do not act independently, but in a cascading fashion that shapes short video use and reduces life satisfaction,” Kulcha told SciPost. “Although each effect was modest, together they created a meaningful pathway. The importance of this finding is not just that the use of short videos is associated with well-being, but how it is associated with well-being through a gradual psychological process that unfolds over time.”
This finding suggests that short video addiction does not simply or solely harm well-being. Rather, addiction operates through a continuous chain of social and emotional influences. Continuous offline interactions create a cascading effect of psychological distress.
“The key takeaway is that excessive use of short videos can reduce life satisfaction over time, not directly, but by increasing feelings of loneliness and anxiety over time,” Kulcha said. “These effects are small individually, but cumulative. So it’s not just a question of screen time, but how that time is replaced with meaningful social connections.”
As with all studies, this result has some limitations. Because this study relies entirely on self-reported questionnaires, the data may be influenced by personal bias. Participants were not always able to accurately estimate or report their actual daily screen time.
Most of the participants were female university students. This demographic concentration means that the findings may not fully apply to older adults, adolescents, or individuals with different educational backgrounds. College students often face unique academic pressures and social changes that can increase feelings of isolation and anxiety.
The 3-month study period captures only short-term psychological changes. Scientists note that this short period of time does not account for long-term developmental changes or the cumulative effects of years of social media use. Future studies require longer observation periods to better understand the stability of these emotional pathways.
Future studies could also utilize objective screen time trackers rather than relying on subjective estimates. Doing so will allow us to more accurately measure your actual digital consumption. Incorporating a multi-method approach can reduce potential reporting errors.
Finally, future research could explore bidirectional relationships within these psychological pathways. People who are already feeling lonely or anxious are very likely to turn to short videos as a coping mechanism. This behavior can create a mutually reinforcing cycle where psychological distress and short video addiction continually amplify each other.
The study “Short video addiction and life satisfaction: continuous longitudinal paths through loneliness and anxiety” was authored by Tuğba Türk Kurtça and Muhammet Can Doğru.
