The Association Between Social Anxiety and Problematic Short-Form Video Use: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis

This project aims to examine the association between social anxiety and problematic short-form video use through a systematic review and three-level meta-analysis. Short-form video platforms have become an important part of young people’s daily media use, and excessive or poorly controlled use of these platforms has been increasingly discussed as a form of problematic digital media use. At the same time, social anxiety is closely related to interpersonal avoidance, fear of negative evaluation, and difficulties in face-to-face communication, which may increase individuals’ reliance on online media environments for emotion regulation, distraction, or indirect social engagement. The purpose of this study is to synthesize existing empirical findings on the relationship between social anxiety and short-form video addiction symptoms or problematic short-form video use. Because primary studies may report multiple effect sizes from the same sample or study, a three-level meta-analytic model will be used to account for the dependency among effect sizes. This approach allows the analysis to separate sampling variance, within-study variance, and between-study variance, providing a more accurate estimate of the overall association. The study will systematically search relevant databases, screen eligible empirical studies according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, extract effect sizes and study characteristics, and assess potential publication bias and heterogeneity. Where sufficient data are available, moderator analyses will be conducted to explore whether the association varies by sample characteristics, measurement tools, study region, publication type, platform type, or other relevant methodological features. It is expected that social anxiety will show a positive association with problematic short-form video use or short-form video addiction symptoms. The findings may help clarify whether socially anxious individuals are more likely to engage in excessive short-form video use and may provide evidence for understanding the psychological correlates of problematic digital media use. This project is expected to contribute to the literature on social anxiety, behavioral addiction, and digital media psychology by offering a quantitative synthesis of existing evidence and identifying directions for future research.