Scrolling to apathy? The relationship between short video addiction and the “lying flat” tendency among Chinese university students

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of short video platforms among Chinese university students has raised concerns about their potential threat to psychological well-being and lifestyle choices, particularly the emergence of the “lying flat” phenomenon. While existing studies have explained the “lying flat” phenomenon from cultural and social perspectives, few have examined its interaction with specific media use behaviors, particularly within the immersive and addictive environment of short video platforms