Study Shows: This is What TikTok Really Does to Teenagers' Brains

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A research team has specifically focused on the format of short videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube and conducted a meta-study. The lead author reports on what she discovered regarding the effects on adolescents and children.

The TikTok app actually started back in 2016: Bytedance released the original in China under the name Douyin. In Germany, the first version was called Musically. From 2018, the Chinese version was marketed as TikTok for the global market – and has since shown unprecedented growth. No other social media app has expanded as rapidly in nearly ten years. The focal point is the short videos in the endless feed and a large, young user base. This configuration has not only raised concerns among parents, teachers, and the media.

Research has primarily focused on social media usage in general. Marlene Ebster and her colleagues from the University of Bayreuth, Sebastian Schmidt, Michael Lauerer, and Eckard Nagel wanted to change that. In the study "Taming the endless scroll?" the team specifically examined the effects of short videos on social media platforms like TikTok, as well as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts – focusing on adolescents and young adults. The study looked at attention and emotional well-being. The average age of the participants in the meta-study was 16.8 years. Health economist Ebster is the lead author of the study and is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, where she is researching digital addiction forms like "Internet Gaming Disorder." In the interview, she shares the insights gained from the study and whether she believes a social media ban – like in Australia – is sensible.

Health economist Marlene Ebster, along with colleagues, has investigated the actual effects of consuming short videos on social networks. (Photo: University of Bayreuth / Marlene Ebster)

MIT Technology Review: Why did you specifically focus on short videos?

Marlene Ebster: Because short videos are now one of the central media for young people. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts are no longer a fringe phenomenon but part of the daily lives of many children and adolescents. In 2023, more than a quarter of TikTok users were between 13 and 17 years old – and at the same time, millions of children under 13 use such apps despite age restrictions. And we see that they – and actually adults too – struggle to detach themselves from these videos. So when we talk about digital childhood and adolescence, we can no longer ignore short videos.

What is scientifically interesting about this?

Short videos are not just "more screen time" – as is often still subsumed in research and clinical recommendations – but a unique format: rapid image and sound transitions, algorithmically tailored recommendations, and an endless scrolling from video to video.

For me, the question was: What could this combination mean for attention, reward processing, and self-regulation? Especially since I am also a user, I find it fascinating to see how strongly short videos are portrayed in public and popular scientific debates as particularly harmful to the brain. It initially sounded catchy. But I wanted to know: What does the research actually show? Can negative developmental consequences really be derived solely from fast image and sound stimuli and hours of continuous watching? In a way, I dove into the jungle of short videos like Indiana Jones.