The Cost to Scroll: Short-form Video Use and Episodic Memory
- 1Stanford University
Abstract
Short-form video platforms expose users to rapid streams of novel content; these features are posited to place heavy demands on cognitive processes. In a preregistered online study, we used device-reported screen time to examine whether short-form video use is associated with sustained attention and episodic memory in participants aged 18-24 yrs (N = 502). During a sustained attention task, participants made indoor/outdoor decisions on scene stimuli, with 90% frequent trials and 10% infrequent trials; the subsequent surprise recognition test assessed memory for these items. Among participants with device-reported TikTok or Instagram use (N = 398), short-form video use was not associated with attention performance. By contrast, greater short-form video use was associated with poorer episodic memory; this relationship was driven by poorer recognition of infrequent-category items. These findings connect heavier short-form video consumption with poorer episodic memory in young adults, showing how daily digital habits co-vary with memory function.
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BibTeX
@misc{chen2026cost,
title = {{The Cost to Scroll: Short-form Video Use and Episodic Memory}},
author = {K. K. Chen and D. S. Miller and K. K. Nguyen and A. D. Wagner and T. T. Tran},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.07.757368},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757368v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The Cost to Scroll: Short-form Video Use and Episodic Memory
AU - K. K. Chen
AU - D. S. Miller
AU - K. K. Nguyen
AU - A. D. Wagner
AU - T. T. Tran
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.07.757368
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757368v1
AB - Short-form video platforms expose users to rapid streams of novel content; these features are posited to place heavy demands on cognitive processes. In a preregistered online study, we used device-reported screen time to examine whether short-form video use is associated with sustained attention and episodic memory in participants aged 18-24 yrs (N = 502). During a sustained attention task, participants made indoor/outdoor decisions on scene stimuli, with 90% frequent trials and 10% infrequent trials; the subsequent surprise recognition test assessed memory for these items. Among participants with device-reported TikTok or Instagram use (N = 398), short-form video use was not associated with attention performance. By contrast, greater short-form video use was associated with poorer episodic memory; this relationship was driven by poorer recognition of infrequent-category items. These findings connect heavier short-form video consumption with poorer episodic memory in young adults, showing how daily digital habits co-vary with memory function.
ER -