Association Between Short-Form Video Use and Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Di Tang, Xin Zhang, Pengpeng Gou, Jie Feng, Rui Hu, Kim-wai Raymond Sum

TL;DR
This study finds that problematic use of short-form videos is linked to worse mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety.
Contribution
The paper provides a meta-analysis showing that problematic short-form video use correlates with negative mental health, while routine use shows weaker or no associations.
Findings
Problematic short-form video use is significantly correlated with depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness.
Routine use shows no significant associations with negative mental health outcomes.
Problematic use has stronger and more consistent correlations with adverse mental health than time spent or frequency of use.
Abstract
Short-form videos (SFVs) have emerged as a dominant trend in digital content sharing over the past decade, gaining rapid global popularity. An increasing number of studies have explored the association between SFV use and mental health, yet current empirical evidence remains inconsistent. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive synthesis examining the relationship between SFV usage and mental health outcomes, distinguishing between problematic and routine usage behaviors. Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycInfo, SportDiscus, and ProQuest were searched for relevant literature up to January 3, 2026. Statistical metrics reflecting the relationship between SFV use and mental health outcome indicators were extracted for meta-analysis, such as Pearson correlation coefficients, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients, and β coefficients. For intervention and longitudinal…
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Taxonomy
TopicsMedia Influence and Health · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents
