He noted that some parents intentionally delay their children’s exposure to highly stimulating short-form clips (Representational image/Pexels)Steve Chen, who worked as YouTube’s chief technology officer before its 2006 acquisition by Google, criticised the “TikTok-ification” of the internet, stressing that an overreliance on short-form video could harm children’s attention spans and mental health.Speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business last year, later published on YouTube, Chen highlighted the difference between entertainment and more substantive content. “I think TikTok is entertainment, but it’s purely entertainment,” Fortune quoted Chen. “It’s just for that moment. Just shorter-form content equates to shorter attention spans.”YouTube co-founder warns against short-form video addictionChen, a father of two, said he would not want his kids to consume only short-form videos and then struggle to watch anything longer than 15 minutes. He noted that some parents intentionally delay their children’s exposure to highly stimulating short-form clips.“If they don’t get exposure to the short-form content right away, then they’re still happy with that other type of content that they’re watching,” he said.Further, Chen warned that companies must balance monetisation goals with delivering content that is “actually useful.”He also cautioned that distributors of short-form video could face growing scrutiny over their potential for addiction, particularly among young users. Chen suggested implementing safeguards such as stricter age restrictions and limits on screen time.Sam Altman criticises short-form videosEarlier, Sam Altam criticised the addictive nature of social media feeds. He described the “dopamine hit” of short-form video as “probably messing with kids’ brain development in a super deep way.”Story continues below this adIn 2023, Elon Musk said he had not imposed restrictions on his own children’s social media use but admitted that “might have been a mistake.”Also Read | Does watching reels have the same effect as alcohol on the brain? Neurologist explains a new study“I think, probably, I would limit social media a bit more than I have in the past and just take note of what they’re watching, because I think at this point they’re being programmed by some social media algorithms, which you may or may not agree with,” Musk had said.A 2013 study published by the National Institutes of Health stated that short-form video addiction might have similar effects as internet addiction or procrastination. “People tend to prefer tasks that offer quicker rewards when time is limited, and postpone those with more distant rewards,” the study read.