A recent survey showed that over 80% of respondents said they enjoy watching short videos, and the younger the age group of respondents, the higher their interest in watching short videos; Nearly 70% of the respondents feel that they have excessively browsed short videos. Short video addiction is not a new problem. In recent years, the topic of adolescent addiction to short videos has been receiving attention. Although some platforms have implemented anti addiction modes, it seems that there is still no truly feasible solution from the actual effect. For teenagers in their growth stage, how many hidden dangers are hidden behind easy and interesting short videos? Experts have pointed out that, not to mention the harm caused to the body by watching short videos in large quantities over a long period of time, the emotional value contained in short videos alone is like sugar, making you sweet in the short term but possibly bitter in the long term. Why are short videos getting more and more addictive? "I start scrolling from the first thing I do when I go home after school, and even secretly cover my bed after sleeping at night. I have to keep it on for meals, restrooms, and even showers." When it comes to short videos, Ms. Liu from Beijing couldn't help but complain, "Especially the immersive interface of some short video apps makes it impossible for children to see the status bar on their phones, and it keeps scrolling endlessly." Adults and children keep their phones on, why do short videos keep people scrolling more and more addictive? "? Ni Duanyu, Deputy Chief Physician of Functional Neurosurgery at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, said that this is mainly related to brain mechanisms. "Short videos can activate the reward system in the brain and trigger the secretion of dopamine, an excitatory neurotransmitter that produces a pleasant experience." Ni Duanyu explained that this pleasure circuit in the brain was developed by humans over a long evolutionary process and is a reward for benign behaviors that are beneficial to survival. When something can bring joy, we naturally want to do it again; The stronger the stimulation of the pleasure circuit, the greater the reward, and this pattern leaves a deeper impression on the brain. At the same time, it means that the likelihood of us becoming addicted to this behavior is increasing Ni Duanyu said. Short videos are precisely activating pleasure brain circuits through exquisite design. Short videos will try their best to grab the audience's attention in the first second, creating a sense of pleasure; Subsequently, by constantly creating stimuli through frequently changing images, people are lured to become addicted to them Li Yihua, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Psychology and Psychiatry at the Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province, explained. That's why many people can't stop scrolling. "It's like dismantling each 'video blind box'." Yao Guizhong, the chief physician of Peking University Sixth Hospital, said that before clicking to watch, no one knows the content of the next video, which can create uncertainty. After watching, uncertainty is eliminated and curiosity is satisfied. Even if we are not interested in the video content itself, we can already feel happy in the repeated process of scrolling up. Will scrolling for a long time make our minds dull and learning efficiency lower, making it difficult to concentrate? What about going to bed early as agreed? How can it light up while brushing? Is this a true portrayal of your life? I can't stop scrolling through short videos at all. During interviews, many people exclaim that they gradually realize that their attention is not focused, their thinking slows down, and their memory declines... it's like short videos make their brains dumber. Is it really like this? "Adolescents are at a critical stage of brain development, where a large number of nerve cells establish connections and neural pathways." Ni Duanyu told reporters that in the process of continuous repair, according to the principle of "using in, discarding, and retreating", the frequently used neural pathways will be consolidated, while those that are not commonly used will gradually disappear. If teenagers are always addicted to short videos and cannot extricate themselves, the related pathways will be strengthened, thereby changing the structure and function of the brain, creativity, perception, thinking patterns, etc. may be affected. "Fragmentation, fast-paced, and instant gratification are the prominent characteristics of short videos, and this media environment is not conducive to sustained focus on a particular topic or task." Ni Duanyu said, "Long term addiction to it can gradually lead to the brain becoming accustomed to receiving rapidly changing stimuli, which may cause teenagers to lose focus and find it difficult to engage in in-depth thinking and learning." Compared to activities such as reading, reasoning, writing, calligraphy and painting, the pleasure brought by watching short videos is faster and more direct, but it may also be only temporary and meaningless. Not only the brain, but other bodily organs may also be affected. Li Yihua said, "Teenagers who stare at the electronic screen for a long time are prone to eye fatigue, dryness and vision loss. In recent years, dry eye disease has gradually become younger, and the incidence rate among teenagers is higher, which is closely related to unhealthy eye use habits." At the same time, if teenagers wear headphones for a long time and the volume is set too high when they brush short videos, it will directly stimulate hair cells in the cochlea, causing irreversible damage to hearing. "Watching short videos has also turned many teenagers into 'bowing heads'," Li Yihua added. "This may lead to them forming bad sitting habits, such as hunching and hunching. Not only does it affect the normal development of bones, but it can also cause damage to the spine." In terms of social interaction, the negative impact of short video addiction on teenagers should not be underestimated. Yao Guizhong said, "Excessive addiction to short videos and spending a lot of time online can lead to a decrease in face-to-face communication in real life. Over time, people may gradually lose interest in the real world, become isolated, introverted, and even have social barriers, making it difficult to establish good interpersonal relationships with others." Yao Guizhong introduced that teenagers' brains and central nervous systems are not yet fully developed, and they may not have good predictive and control abilities for their own behavior. Faced with the temptation of short videos, they are more likely to lose themselves. "This is not an anomaly, let alone a 'disease', but a characteristic inherent in this age group. We should approach it rationally and guide it correctly." Yao Guizhong specifically reminded. The gradual system of desensitization and management often puts Ms. Liu in a dilemma. "I have asked my child countless times to delete these short video apps." Ms. Liu reported to the reporter that before the launch of the short video anti addiction mode, she often had to engage in a tug of war with her child about "deletion and installation". After several attempts, she felt physically and mentally exhausted, and her relationship with her child was greatly affected. "Children always feel that I have strict control over the topics of these videos, saying they don't understand them, and are worried that they don't have friends in school." "Parents judge whether they are addicted, and the length of time is very important." Li Yihua introduced that according to the "Clinical Diagnosis Standards for Internet Addiction" issued in 2008 in China, if they spend more than 6 hours online every day and meet certain conditions for more than 3 consecutive months, they can be considered as internet addiction. "The inability to control oneself and influence other activities are also two prominent manifestations of short video addiction." Ni Duanyu told reporters that many teenagers can realize that they have been addicted to short videos for too long, and may feel regret and self blame for it, but they cannot stop it in time and instead become more and more trapped. "When there is a decrease in interest in other things, and even inability to eat, sleep, and study normally, it is necessary to be vigilant." Ni Duanyu said. How to prevent teenagers from unconsciously becoming addicted step by step? Some teenagers invest a lot of time and energy into short videos because they lack other options. From this perspective, it is necessary to find alternative activities in real life to meet the psychological needs of adolescents and divert their attention Yao Guizhong told reporters that this includes exploring and cultivating various interests and hobbies, such as reading books, outdoor sports, painting, etc; It also includes setting clear goals and plans to ensure that there are other important matters that need attention and handling; You can also communicate more with family, friends, and others around you, and gain happiness and satisfaction from social interaction. "When teenagers can feel love, belonging, and self-worth from real life, they naturally won't be trapped in the virtual world." Yao Guizhong said. "Once the problem of short video addiction is found to be more serious, in addition to the above methods, a 'warm water frog boiling' system desensitization therapy can also be used." For example, Ni Duanyu suggests that if teenagers spend 5 hours a day watching short videos, they can reduce the duration of desensitization treatment to 4 hours a day at the beginning; If it can be achieved, it is necessary to give them certain rewards to enhance their confidence and sense of achievement. After gradually adapting, further reduce the number of views and time in the same way until the final goal is achieved. During this process, the guardians of teenagers play an important guiding and supervisory role. Li Yihua specifically mentioned that this is a gradual process and not achieved overnight. "Once parents try to force off their mobile phones or make their children stop watching any short videos immediately, teenagers' brains will enter a state of dopamine deficit, and the huge gap may lead to emotional fluctuations and even more impulsive behavior. Not only can they not effectively stop short videos, but also may affect parent-child relations, and even let teenagers appear rebellious tendencies." "Of course, short videos are not a scourge, so don't demonize it." In Yao Guizhong's view, as a new medium in the mobile Internet era, short videos are inexorably entering children's lives, from which some people find ways to enrich and improve themselves, while others gradually lose their way in the flickering virtual fantasy. It is undeniable that in short video platforms, simple and easy to understand, novel and interesting science popularization videos are increasingly favored by teenagers. "These short videos convey information through various elements such as images, sound, and text, concretizing and visualizing abstract concepts and knowledge, making it easier for teenagers to understand and remember. They can stimulate learning interest and broaden their horizons, making them learning content with positive significance." Li Yihua said. Ni Duanyu agrees with this, "We should dialectically view the impact of short videos, comprehensively consider their positive effects and potential risks, and take effective measures to guide and supervise them. Only in this way can teenagers maintain a healthy and positive attitude towards life while enjoying the pleasure brought by short videos." (Xinhua)