Scientific study reveals TikTok videos deactivate key cognitive brain regions

A functional MRI and 1H-MRS study of 56 young adults found that watching short TikTok-style videos to completion significantly deactivates the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, key nodes of cognitive control. Resting-state glutamate and GABA levels in the dACC predicted individual variation in this suppression, linking neurochemical balance to the observed decline in self-regulation during enjoyable short-video consumption.