Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41464091›Full record

ArticleBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2025

The Relationship Between TikTok Usage and Executive Function Is Mediated by Problematic Social Media Use.

Jessica Golding, Anya Rallison, Kyra Zhang, Aisha Awan, Francisco Romero, Jillia Lacbain, Samuel Lee, Sahar Momand, Lilian Azer, Weiwei Zhang

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jessica GoldingDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.ORCID 0009-0007-4641-0637
Anya RallisonDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Kyra ZhangDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Aisha AwanDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Francisco RomeroDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Jillia LacbainDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Samuel LeeDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Sahar MomandDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Lilian AzerDepartment of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, 260 Aldrich Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
Weiwei ZhangDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.

Funding

Institute for Clinical and Translational Science NRSA Postdoctoral Research Training CoreT32TR005459 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI VINCENT James CAIOZZO, Anand K Ganesan · 2025 to 2026
$340k
NCATS NIH HHS T32 TR005459
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Social media is deeply integrated into life, offering new opportunities for learning and communication. However, excessive use has been linked to negative effects on well-being and cognitive functions. A rapidly growing platform, TikTok has been a focal point of controversy due to concerns over its short-form content. The present study investigates the relationship between TikTok usage, problematic social media use (PSMU), and executive function (EF) to distinguish platform-specific features from broader patterns of problematic use. A survey conducted with 346 college students measured EF, TikTok use intensity, PSMU, and mental health variables. The findings indicate that while PSMU and TikTok use correlate with EF dysfunction, TikTok use is not a significant predictor when PSMU and mental health factors are statistically accounted for. Mediation analysis suggests that PSMU mediates the relationship between TikTok use and EF impairment, indicating that problematic media use-rather than platform-specific characteristics-relates to poor cognition connected to social media. These results contribute to the growing literature on digital media's cognitive effects, underscoring the importance of addressing problematic usage patterns rather than focusing on individual platforms. Additionally, the association of PSMU with EF impairments and poor mental health reinforces the need for interventions targeting excessive social media engagement.

Indexed as

BRIEF scaleexecutive functionproblematic social media useTikTokworking memory

Identifiers

PMID41464091
PMCPMC12729990

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.