No matter where we turn on social media, short videos are everywhere. Repeated exposure to this brief, information-dense, and rewarding content stimulates the brain in a way that tells us the experience is pleasurable or satisfying. If indulged in too much, people may develop short video addiction (SVA), a maladaptive pattern where viewers are more prone to having difficulties regulating their short video consumption. With the proliferation of short videos online, SVA is a growing concern as it impacts efficiency in daily life and negatively affects psychological and physical health. This makes understanding this relatively new type of addiction vital: not much is known about the psychological mechanisms that increase vulnerability.
Now, new research done in China has examined how attachment anxiety – a relationship pattern characterized by fear of abandonment which is often shaped in early childhood – contributes to SVA. The results were published in Frontiers in Psychology.
"We show that higher levels of attachment anxiety are associated with a greater risk of SVA," said first author Haodong Su, a lecturer at the College of Humanities at Anhui Science and Technology University. "Poorer attentional control, or control over what we choose to ignore or focus on, as well as difficulties with processing one's own or others' emotions can explain this relationship in part."
Pathways to addiction
For their study, the researchers recruited 342 students aged 18 to 22 and used different scales to measure their levels of SVA, attachment anxiety, attentional control – commonly referred to as concentration – and alexithymia, a character trait characterized by difficulty identifying and describing emotions. Previous research suggests that alexithymia is relatively common among young people, especially during key developmental stages or when confronted with stress.
The results showed that higher levels of attachment anxiety increased the likelihood of developing SVA. This susceptibility may be shaped by both attentional control and alexithymia, both mechanisms that shape emotional processing. Previous research has shown that higher levels of attachment anxiety lead to decreased attentional control and that people with higher levels of attachment anxiety tend to exhibit more severe alexithymic traits. When these mechanisms fail to fully regulate emotions, people may start to rely on external regulators, such as short videos, to cope with the negative effects.
"Individuals with more severe alexithymia symptoms showed significantly higher levels of SVA, indicating that having difficulties with identifying and expressing emotions may increase reliance on short videos as a form of emotional escape," explained Su.
Poorer attentional control, which in turn often intensifies and heightens alexithymia levels, also mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and SVA.
Protected by attention
While poor attentional control can make teens more susceptible to becoming addicted to short videos, training one's concentration may also achieve the opposite effect and play a protective role in the development of SVA.
"Young people who are better able to regulate and sustain their attention are less likely to develop addictive patterns of short video use, even when they experience emotional difficulties such as attachment anxiety," Su pointed out.
Small measures, like setting time limits on video consumption, scheduling designated phone-free periods, or establishing routines that encourage reflection on emotions, can be useful starting points for young adults struggling with focus or alexithymia.
"Attentional control is not a fixed ability and can be improved with practice," said Su. "Strategies such as mindfulness training, reducing multitasking, and deliberately scheduling periods of focused activity may help strengthen attention regulation and reduce the risk of SVA."
The researchers note that the data used in the study was self-reported by students and may be biased. The study's cross-sectional design provides a snapshot, and the findings show associations rather than direct cause-and-effect relationships. The sample also was gender-imbalanced, with around 72% of the participants being male. As attachment anxiety and attentional control differ by gender, future research with more balanced samples will be important to determine whether these patterns hold across genders. Studies spanning longer periods of time are also necessary to confirm the relationships identified here.
"Our findings show that strengthening attentional control and emotional awareness, rather than relying solely on restricting technology use can be effective to prevent SVA," concluded Su. "Short video addiction is not only about screen time, but also about emotional and cognitive regulation."
