Zuckerberg says the science isn’t settled. But the harms of short-form video on the brain are starting to show | Caty Enders

Recent social media lawsuits have addressed concerns about mental health. But what about its cognitive effects? A few years ago, when I’d just started graduate work, I was waiting with a grandmother finishing a questionnaire I’d handed her about her 19-year-old granddaughter who was in the testing room next door. They were participating in a study that used brain imaging to look at adolescent development. The older woman had a soft southern accent and a warm laugh. “What’s funny?” I asked. Continue reading...

Caty Enders · Mon, Sep 14, 2026, 4:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

Zuckerberg says the science isn’t settled. But the harms of short-form video on the brain are starting to show | Caty Enders

Recent social media lawsuits have addressed concerns about mental health. But what about its cognitive effects?

A few years ago, when I’d just started graduate work, I was waiting with a grandmother finishing a questionnaire I’d handed her about her 19-year-old granddaughter who was in the testing room next door. They were participating in a study that used brain imaging to look at adolescent development. The older woman had a soft southern accent and a warm laugh.

“What’s funny?” I asked.

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