How TikTok 'brain rot' impacts brain structure and function
Frequent use of smartphone apps like TikTok could affect the brain on a structural and functional level, new data suggest.
When a federal ban in the United States caused TikTok to briefly go dark in January, users of the app took to other social media platforms to express their disappointment, many of them indicating they were at a loss with what to do during their routine “brain rot” scrolling time. While social media addiction has been known to be problematic since the emergence of Facebook, many experts, talking heads and social media users have said that TikTok took digital dependence to another level.
Now, new MRI data is detailing how the use of it and other similar apps impact the neural health of their users.
“Short video addiction (SVA) is characterized by the compulsive and uncontrolled use of short video platforms, where users excessively consume personalized content to the extent that it negatively interferes with other activities,” Qiang Wang, faculty of psychology at Tianjin Normal University in China, and colleagues wrote in NeuroImage. “As a form of behavioral disorder, SVA has been linked to a host of adverse physical and psychological consequences, including sleep disturbances, visual impairments, cervical spinal injuries, cognitive deficits related to reward processing, attention, learning, and memory, and emotional disturbances, including depression, anxiety and stress.”
Though problematic, these manifestations are simply the resultant physical and behavioral symptoms of more complex neurological alterations. The team wanted to get a better idea of what neural mechanisms underlie these changes seen in individuals with SVA.
To do this, they recruited more than 100 participants to undergo resting state MRI brain scans. Participants also completed survey questions regarding their use of short video apps and perceptions of their mental health. None of the participants had a history of neurological or psychiatric issues.
On imaging, researchers noted obvious alterations in those with problematic SVA. Structurally, associations between SVA and increased volumes in the orbitofrontal cortex and bilateral cerebellum were observed.
“The observed increase in GMV in the OFC may indicate heightened sensitivity to the rewards and stimuli associated with short video content, possibly reflecting more intense pleasure responses during engagement with personalized videos,” the authors explained. “This heightened sensitivity to immediate gratification, driven by the multichannel, personalized audio-visual content typical of platforms like TikTok, may increase vulnerability to addictive behaviors, thereby reshaping brain morphology, such as increasing OFC volume.”
SVA severity was linked to increased spontaneous activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, cerebellum and temporal pole. These areas are known to be related to reward processing. The authors suggested that these findings in particular could pave the way for addictive behaviors to form, as the immediate gratification of short videos could gradually impair an individual’s self-control over the long-term.
The group also observed strong associations with characteristics of dispositional envy and SVA, suggesting that those individuals may be more susceptible to screen addictions in the first place.
“By examining dispositional envy, our study also suggests that personality traits broadly may act as risk factors contributing to the development of SVA, with associated neural pathways involving cerebellar GMV, prefrontal spontaneous activity, and functional patterns in the TP, all mediating the effects of envy on addiction behaviors,” the group noted.
Although concerning, the findings highlight a window of opportunity when interventions may be most effective. They suggested adolescents whose brains are still developing may be most vulnerable to the ramifications of addictive behavior fueled by SVA. Interventions targeted at creating healthy screen habits could potentially reduce the likelihood of other addictive behaviors later in life, they added.
It should be noted that the scans were not completed before, during or after participants engaged in short videos. The study’s cross-sectional nature did not allow researchers to determine causation, but rather, associations instead. More long-term research is needed to determine whether addictive behaviors lead to altered neural structure and function, or vice versa.
Learn more about the findings here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.