Is brain rot real? Researchers warn of emerging risks tied to short

With short-form video now dominant on social media, researchers are racing to understand how the highly engaging, algorithm-driven format may be reshaping the brain.

From TikTok to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, short-form video content has become a cornerstone of just about every online platform, including LinkedIn and even Substack. But increasingly, studies are finding associations between heavy consumption of short-form video and challenges with focus and self-control.

The research, though still early, seems to echo widespread concerns over “ brain rot ,” an internet slang term that the Oxford University Press defines as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state.” (The term became so mainstream that the academic publishing house crowned it as its 2