🤳 Short videos on social media: why it's time to say stop

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Short-form video feeds (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, etc.) are designed to maximize viewing time with lightning-fast, endless, personalized clips. Scientific research is clarifying the side effects: decreased attention and prospective memory, more impulsiveness, and sleep risks — with neurobiological signals similar to those of behavioral addictions.

This article is designed to raise public awareness of the risks of Reels and short videos (TikTok, Instagram Reels, and others) and the reasons to stop watching them compulsively.

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🤔 Why you should stop watching Reels and other short videos

In recent years, social media has transformed content into lightning-fast clips: Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts.

They're fun, but experts and institutions are raising real concerns about their effects on attention, memory, sleep, and mental health—especially among young people.


👀 Why this format "locks" attention

Very short videos use autoplay, personalized recommendations, and a continuous sequence of stimuli.

This combination encourages prolonged scrolling: the brain receives fast and unpredictable rewards that make it difficult to stop.

Institutional reports and recent studies also describe how these mechanisms can promote compulsive use and a reduction in the ability to concentrate.


🙄 Effects on attention and memory (in simple terms)

Experimental research shows that repeated exposure to short-form videos can worsen the ability to perform tasks that require sustained attention and can reduce so-called prospective memory, which is

the ability to remember to perform future actions (for example, remembering an appointment or finishing a task).

These results emerge from both controlled studies and literature reviews: this is not alarmism, but evidence that calls for caution in daily use.


😨 Impact on the mental health of young people

International organizations and scientific associations report an increase in anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbances associated with problematic social media use among adolescents and young adults.

For this reason, several organizations (including US health authorities and professional organizations) have published warnings and recommendations for more controlled use of the platforms.


😵‍💫 Sleep, stress, and practical consequences

Watching short videos before bed and prolonged scrolling are habits linked to poorer quality sleep:

Difficulty falling asleep, fragmented sleep, and reduced total sleep time.

Poor-quality sleep, in turn, weakens memory, attention, and emotional resilience.


What to do: practical and realistic advice

  • Avoid short videos before bed: Establish a "screen-free zone" in the hour before bed.
  • Use apps with intention: If you use social media for work or information, schedule short time slots and don't open the app out of boredom.
  • Disable autoplay and notifications: Simple swipes help interrupt automatic scrolling.
  • Reintroduce productive boredom: Practice longer reading sessions, phone-free walks, and single-task hobbies to train concentration.
  • Talk to young people: Shared limits and explanations work better than a total ban.

Conclusion

Reels and short videos are not "harmless": their design favors quick rewards and Prolonged scrolling can erode attention, sleep quality, and, in some cases, psychological well-being. This doesn't mean demonizing technology, but rather using awareness:

Less autopilot, more control



Authoritative sources and recommended reading



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