Effect of Short-Form Video Consumption Before Bedtime on Sleep Duration and Daytime Fatigue Among Young Adults: A Structured Evidence Synthesis

Abstract

Background: Short-form video platforms combine brief audiovisual content, algorithmic personalization, autoplay and continuous vertical scrolling. These design features can extend use beyond intended stopping points, particularly at bedtime, when time displacement and cognitive arousal may directly compete with sleep.
Objective: To synthesize evidence available on the relationship between pre-bedtime short-form video consumption, sleep duration and daytime fatigue among young adults, and to identify the behavioral pathways most relevant to intervention.
Methods: A structured evidence synthesis was conducted using peer-reviewed studies of TikTok, Douyin and comparable short-form video use, supplemented by high-quality objective studies of in-bed screen exposure and experimental smartphone restriction where the mechanism was directly transferable. University and young-adult populations were prioritized. Because exposure definitions, sleep measures and fatigue outcomes were heterogeneous, no pooled effect estimate was calculated.
Results: Short-form video addiction and loss-of-control use were repeatedly associated with poorer sleep-related outcomes. In 337 college students, short-video addiction predicted worse Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores (beta=0.458, p<0.001), with physical activity and procrastination accounting for part of the association. A two-sample TikTok study found that self-control failure was more strongly associated with bedtime procrastination than general TikTok-use frequency, including among 222 university students. Among 3,392 adult Douyin users, approximately 82% reported bedtime use; insomnia was strongly linked to this behavior and mediated associations with depression, anxiety, loneliness and well-being. Objective evidence from a repeated-measures JAMA Pediatrics cohort showed that each additional 10 minutes of in-bed screen use was associated with 3 minutes less total sleep, and interactive use with 9 minutes less sleep, supporting timing and engagement intensity as important mechanisms. In 2025, short-form video frequency, duration and scroll immersion were also associated with greater cognitive fatigue.
Conclusion: The evidence supports a timing-sensitive pathway in which immersive or poorly controlled short-form video use at bedtime promotes bedtime procrastination and arousal, reduces available sleep opportunity, and may contribute to next-day fatigue. Interventions should focus on the in-bed period, stopping control, notifications and objective measurement of both sleep and platform use rather than on total daily screen time alone.