Core Insights - The paper analyzes the relationship between short video consumption and cognitive abilities as well as mental health, summarizing findings from 71 studies involving 98,299 participants [1][2]. Impact on Cognitive Abilities - Overall, short video consumption has a moderate negative correlation with cognitive abilities (r = -0.34), with attention (r = -0.38) and inhibitory control (r = -0.41) being the most affected areas [3][4]. - Other cognitive domains such as language, memory, and working memory show weak negative correlations (r ranging from -0.14 to -0.21), while reasoning does not show significant correlation [5][4]. - The study indicates that heavy short video users may experience structural changes in the brain cortex, which correlate with decreased attention and inhibitory control [4]. Impact on Mental Health - Increased short video usage is significantly and weakly negatively correlated with mental health indicators (r = -0.21), with anxiety (r = -0.33) and stress (r = -0.34) showing the strongest correlations [7][8]. - The findings suggest that excessive short video consumption may lead to sleep disorders, which are recognized risk factors for anxiety and depression [8]. Unconventional Findings - The frequency of usage has minimal negative impact, while addiction to short videos is the primary concern affecting attention and memory [9]. - The negative effects of short video consumption are consistent across all age groups, indicating that both adults and children are equally susceptible [9][10]. - Interestingly, short video consumption does not significantly impact body image or self-esteem, possibly due to the diverse content available on platforms [10]. - TikTok usage alone appears to pose lower risks compared to general short video usage across multiple platforms, suggesting that cross-platform consumption may lead to higher addiction levels [12][13][14].