Association Between Short-Form Video Use and Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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 studies, we extracted the baseline correlation coefficients. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to assess the risk of bias.

A total of 58 studies, with a cumulative sample of 96,676 participants, were included in the analysis. Results showed no significant correlations between SFV use and positive psychological states, but significant positive correlations with negative psychological states, including depression (r=0.24, 95% CI 0.15-0.33), anxiety (r=0.26, 95% CI 0.17-0.35), stress (r=0.41, 95% CI 0.38-0.56), negative affect (r=0.22, 95% CI 0.10.33), loneliness (r=0.33, 95% CI 0.25-0.41), and boredom (r=0.42, 95% CI 0.29-0.53). Subgroup analyses revealed substantial differences between usage patterns: problematic use demonstrated significant negative associations with subjective well-being (r=−0.25, 95% CI −0.35 to −0.14) and positive correlations with adverse mental health outcomes, while routine usage showed no significant associations with negative affect and exhibited a negative but nonsignificant correlation with anxiety (r=−0.02, 95% CI −0.18 to 0.14). Additionally, while some studies reported significant associations between routine SFV use (time spent or frequency) and mental health outcomes, these findings were less consistent and showed smaller effect sizes compared to the more robust correlations found with problematic use measures. This suggests that the relationship between time spent on SFV and mental health may be less stable than that of problematic use patterns, highlighting the importance of considering qualitative aspects of usage rather than merely quantitative metrics.

This meta-analysis suggests that SFV use is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Future research should use objective measurement instruments to capture contemporary SFV usage patterns and differentiate between distinct types of engagement. Additionally, studies with greater geographical diversity and longitudinal or experimental designs are needed to establish causality and examine temporal changes in these associations.

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