{"content":"YouTube’s Cofounder Warns: Short Videos May Be Harming Kids' Attention Spans Steve Chen, cofounder and former Chief Technology Officer of YouTube, is voicing concern about the impact of short-form videos on children. Speaking at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Chen said platforms like TikTok and even YouTube Shorts may be reducing users’ ability to focus, especially among younger audiences. “Short-form content equates to shorter attention spans,” Chen said during the talk, which was later shared on YouTube. As a parent himself, he explained that he limits his children’s exposure to short videos. Instead, he encourages them to watch longer content that requires more focus and engagement. Chen emphasized that platforms need to take responsibility by adding safeguards for young users such as screen time limits or age restrictions to help protect their mental development. He’s not alone in sounding the alarm. Tech leaders like OpenAI’s Sam Altman and X’s Elon Musk have also warned about the effects of social media and the addictive nature of short-form content. Altman recently described the constant scrolling and dopamine hits as potentially harmful to kids' brain development, while Musk admitted he may have made a mistake by not limiting his own children’s use of social media. As platforms race to compete with TikTok, many are pushing short-form content aggressively. But Chen’s message is clear: innovation shouldn’t come at the cost of children’s attention spans. Drop your thoughts in the comment section ","images":["https://d2kdcqywr8ua22.cloudfront.net/uploadfile/article/blog/2025082025/08/01/715db832b3fc43ef84962610f4c690b3.jpg"],"tags":[],"tradingPairs":[],"quotearticleid":0}