Short-Form Video Platforms and Attentional Control: Evidence for Domain- and Platform-Specific Associations

<p>Short-form video (SFV) platforms provide rapid, algorithmically curated streams of content that appear to place distinctive demands on attention and cognitive control. The present study investigated whether associations between SFV use and ADHD-related symptoms depend on platform-specific affordances and whether these associations are domain-specific across inattention and hyperactivity–impulsivity. In a cross-sectional survey of 193 emerging adults, we measured daily use of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels, alongside dimensional ADHD symptom scores and problematic social media use. TikTok use was positively associated with total ADHD symptomatology and inattention, but not with hyperactivity–impulsivity. No significant associations were observed for other SFV platforms. Mediation analyses indicated that the relationship between TikTok use and both inattention and total ADHD symptoms was statistically consistent with an indirect pathway via problematic social media use. These findings suggest that attentional consequences of SFV engagement are not uniform across platforms and may depend on interface design and algorithmic structure. Moreover, the selective association with inattention constrains accounts that attribute media effects primarily to task-switching or arousal-based mechanisms, and instead highlights the potential role of immersive, reward-driven attentional capture. The results underscore the importance of platform-specific and domain-specific approaches in theories of media–attention interaction.</p>