For many of us, the day often starts with a swipe. Before getting out of bed, we might scroll through TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. A few clips become a few dozen. Minutes become an hour. Then, later in the day, we return for more.
Researchers at Germany's University of Bayreuth examined the phenomenon, especially in children and adolescents.
The review, published in the journal European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, analyzed 42 studies involving nearly 30,000 participants, most of them adolescents and young adults.
Importantly, the authors examined something often overlooked in public debate: The mechanics of the platforms themselves.Far from TV on a smaller screen
The researchers identified three features common to short-form video platforms: The personalization of algorithms, the unpredictability of the infinite scroll and the novelty of rapidly switching among videos.
