# data[].attributes.body
To what extent does short form social media content affect the cognitive development and mental health of adolescents?

# data[].attributes.body
Ethical

# data[].attributes.body
From an ethical lens, short form social media content has negatively affected adolescent’s cognitive development and mental health due to addictive scrolling, raising concerns about transparency and accountability of social media companies. Furthermore, the prolonged exposure of social media creates unrealistic beauty standards and significantly affects their mental health.

# data[].attributes.body
Concerns raised about short form social media content focusing on cognitive development (source 1), what short form content is, why and in which types of situations adolescents are inclined to watch such content (source 2) and what effects it can have due to excessive use (source 3).

# data[].attributes.body
Short form content negatively affects adolescent’s cognitive development and mental health significantly due to addictive scrolling, raising concerns about transparency and accountability of social media companies. Using the sources, demonstrating how short form content is addictive and the affects of it, physically and mentally, with the effects affecting adolescent's everyday lives, especially in academics.

# data[].attributes.body
Short Form Content creates unrealistic beauty standards, creating significant mental health issues. Using the sources and highlighting how the media creates an ideal beauty type, especially through filters and edits, and how adolescents are affected, increasingly focusing on their appearances due to insecurity, therefore reaching for external validation, demonstrating the ethical issue of the affect of social media on adolescents, especially younger, developing girls.

# data[].attributes.headline
Source #1: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

# data[].attributes.subject
Source #1: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

# data[].attributes.body
“This raise concerns as young adults aged 18–25 spend more time daily on these platforms, which may impair motor skills, a cornerstone of cognitive function required for decision-making and brain networks.”

“Their study indicates that the quick, fragmented nature of such videos might interfere with one’s ability to maintain sustained attention and cognitive control, which is crucial for tasks that require focused mental effort.”

# data[].attributes.headline
Source #1: Frontiers in Psychology / NIH

# data[].attributes.subject
Source #1: Frontiers in Psychology / NIH

# data[].attributes.body
“Physically, short-form video addiction can cause poor vision, decreased physical fitness, and possibly chronic diseases and other disorders. In terms of mental health, it can result in emotion regulation problems, reduced feelings fo well-being, and even problem attic behaviors such as suicide. Furthermore, among students, it has been found that short-form video addiction can also lead to poor sleep quality and academic burnout.”

“Thus, short-form videos afford students to procrastinate in high-demanding tasks, such as academic assignment and self-regulated learning”

# data[].attributes.headline
Source #1: Frontiers in Psychology / NIH

# data[].attributes.subject
Source #1: Frontiers in Psychology / NIH

# data[].attributes.body
“The media plays a vital role in formulating what is attractive in society, increasing the thin beauty ideal among females being unattainable”

“This dissatisfaction also plays an essential role in disordered eating attitudes since it provokes emotional and psychological distress”

“Nevertheless, substantial studies have shown that economic interests are linked with the promotion of dieting in social media, or even surgery”

# data[].attributes.body
“Short-form videos, however, present a unique case. Their rapid, algorithmically curated delivery is specifically designed to maximize user engagement, distinguishing them from other forms of digital media.”

“Their short video durations make binge-watching effortless, as users can quickly consume multiple videos in a short time. Hyper-personalized algorithms for recommending videos to users [...]”

“These factors can also make users more likely to experience feelings of withdrawal when they are not using the platforms. The more intense the feelings of withdrawal, the more likely users are to increase their use of short-form videos.”

“First, youth are markedly susceptible to the effects of short-form video applications. Drawn to their entertainment and relaxation-promoting features, they often use these platforms as coping mechanisms to manage the stresses and challenges of daily life. This behavior has been linked to a decline in academic motivation, evident in reduced enthusiasm for learning and disengagement in classroom settings. Second, Arab youth particularly are prolific users of social media platforms and are simultaneously recognized as a group at heightened risk for various mental health issues, including depression and suicidal tendencies.”

# data[].attributes.body
“Research by Rahmadiansyah et al. (2022) shows that low levels of adolescent girls using TikTok contribute to negative body perceptions, strengthening the relationship between self-esteem and body image among adolescent girls. These findings reinforce that social media platforms dominate visual content and play an essential role in shaping teenagers' body perceptions.”

“As adolescents engage with highly curated and appearance-focused content, their self-image becomes increasingly susceptible to external validation and comparison.”

“[...] media is used to fulfill emotional and identity-related needs (Bhatiasevi, 2024). However, when used for social validation, especially in an environment that promotes perfectionism and popularity metrics (likes, views), self-worth can be compromised (Dingemans et al., 2023).”

# data[].attributes.headline
Source #2: University of Richmond School of Law

# data[].attributes.subject
Source #2: University of Richmond School of Law

# data[].attributes.body
“The rapid scrolling of videos shares the same fundamental principles that make gambling on slot machines addictive, which is referred to as ‘random reinforcement.’”

“This decreased attention span has been (not so affectionately) referred to as ‘TikTok Brain.’”

“Emerging research suggests that watching short-form videos make it difficult for children to engage in activities that don’t offer instant—and constant—gratification.”

# data[].attributes.body
“Jamil revealed that social comparison and addiction to TikTok hurt the self-esteem of teens, especially when teens compare themselves to content that displays unrealistic beauty standards.”

“not only entertains but also shapes adolescents' perceptions of self and others (Barta & Andalibi, 2021). As adolescents engage with highly curated and appearance-focused content, their self-image becomes increasingly susceptible to external validation and comparison (Wong & McLellan, 2024).”

“[...] media is used to fulfill emotional and identity-related needs (Bhatiasevi, 2024). However, when used for social validation, especially in an environment that promotes perfectionism and popularity metrics (likes, views), self-worth can be compromised (Dingemans et al., 2023).”

# data[].attributes.headline
Source #3: Science Direct / Google Scholar

# data[].attributes.subject
Source #3: Science Direct / Google Scholar

# data[].attributes.body
“TikTok is a social media app for making and sharing short-form videos. It allows users to quickly and easily create and upload 15-s videos and share them with friends, family members or the whole globe.”

“Excessive use may lead to many psychological problems, such as distraction, poor time management, and reduced learning time”

“Internet addiction can be described as “a disorder in which an individual’s inability to control his or her use of Internet causes marked distress and/or functional impairment and that furthermore creates psychological, social, school and/or work difficulties” (Burnay et al., 2015, p. 28).”

# data[].attributes.body
“AI-recommended content be designed to prioritize youth safety and welfare over engagement. This suggests potentially restricting the use of personalized recommendations using youth data, design features that may prioritize content evoking extreme emotions, or content that may depict illegal or harmful behavior.”

“[Likes and follower counts] metrics to maintain platform engagement capitalizes on youths’ vulnerabilities and likely leads to problematic use.”

“Youths’ developing cortical system (particularly in the brain’s inhibitory control network) makes them less capable of resisting impulses or stopping themselves [...] making decisions based on short-term gain, lower appreciation of long-term risks, and interference with focus on tasks that require concentration.”

“use and retention of youths’ data without appropriate parental consent, and/or child assent in developmentally appropriate language”

# data[].attributes.headline
Source #4: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

# data[].attributes.subject
Source #4: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

# data[].attributes.body
“Academic procrastination is a common issue for young adults; it disrupts one's overall emotional well-being and academic achievement.”

“The way SFV [short form videos] was designed would fill an individual's mental buffer and eliminate useful information for superficial ones.”

# data[].attributes.headline
Source #3: Indian Journal of Psychiatry / NIH

# data[].attributes.subject
Source #3: Indian Journal of Psychiatry / NIH

# data[].attributes.body
“Many studies have demonstrated that the excessive use of social media negatively affects areas such as academic functionality, social relationships, mental health, life satisfaction, and self-esteem in adolescents.”

“[...] social media addiction levels of the participants were found to negatively predict their self-esteem and body image levels.”

“In a study conducted by Woods and Scott with 467 adolescents, it was found that adolescents with high levels of social media use had low self-esteem”

# data[].attributes.body
“body ideals heavily propagated by media, family, and peers”

“Social media allows individuals to upload idealized versions of themselves on their accounts; these images are often exaggerated with the use of filters and edits. Repeated exposure to these images leads to an increase in social comparison and internalization of these beauty ideals and thus leads to worsening dissatisfaction with body image. Body dissatisfaction has unfortunately been linked to psychological stress, which can result in a variety of psychological disorders, such as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and anorexia nervosa”

# data[].attributes.headline
Source #5: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

# data[].attributes.subject
Source #5: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

# data[].attributes.body
“Academic procrastination is a common issue for young adults; it disrupts one's overall emotional well-being and academic achievement.”

“The way SFV [short form videos] was designed would fill an individual's mental buffer and eliminate useful information for superficial ones.”