A new study reveals that TikTok may cause a neurocognitive condition now formally recognised as 'brain rot'.
Last year, the term was crowned Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year after capturing public concern about excessive consumption of low-quality online content, particularly on social media. Now, findings from the American Psychological Association confirm that brain rot is more than a meme, it is a measurable syndrome affecting cognition.
The research highlights that short-form video content on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts directly impacts attention and mental processing. Young users who spend hours scrolling through these platforms show clear signs of cognitive decline.
Short-form Videos Are Harmful to the Cognitive System
The study, titled Feeds, Feelings, and Focus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Examining the Cognitive and Mental Health Correlates of Short-Form Video Use, examined 98,299 participants across 71 studies.
Researchers found that the more time someone spent on algorithm-driven short-form video platforms, the lower their performance in tasks requiring attention and inhibitory control.
Platforms like TikTok have become central to daily life. Data shows that young people now average 6.5 hours per day online, consuming content designed to capture attention immediately.
According to the report, this volume of rapid, stimulating content overloads the cognitive system, making it difficult for users to engage with more complex or sustained tasks.
Users Get Desensitised to More Effortful Cognitive Tasks
The study explains that 'According to this framework, repeated exposure to highly stimulating, fast-paced content may contribute to habituation, in which users become desensitised to slower, more effortful cognitive tasks such as reading, problem solving, or deep learning'.
Habituation activates the brain's reward system. This feedback loop reinforces habitual platform use and can contribute to social isolation, lower life satisfaction, and even self-esteem and body image issues. Additional consequences of excessive short-form video consumption include poor sleep quality, heightened anxiety, and increased feelings of loneliness.
In essence, watching shorts on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts may reduce the brain's ability to focus and think critically. The study warns that the habit forms a cycle that can be difficult to break once established.
Researchers emphasise that the impact is particularly strong in younger users, whose brains are still developing. The combination of rapid content switching and immediate gratification may permanently alter attention spans, making concentration on traditional learning tasks or longer reading sessions increasingly challenging.
The Way Forward
Experts recommend limiting exposure to algorithm-driven short-form videos. Engaging with longer-form, more cognitively demanding activities can help restore focus and encourage deeper thinking. For those concerned about their mental performance, even moderate reductions in daily short-form video use can make a measurable difference.
The APA's findings underline that brain rot is no longer just a casual warning or internet joke. It is a recognised neurocognitive syndrome with identifiable effects on mental health and cognitive function.
While social media platforms continue to dominate global attention, awareness of the risks and proactive behavioural adjustments remain crucial. Taking regular breaks from TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts, prioritising sleep, and incorporating reading or problem-solving tasks are recommended strategies to combat the effects identified in the study.
