YouTube co-founder warns about short-form videos: 5 ways how internet's TikTok-ification could reprogram a generation

The man who helped build YouTube is now uneasy about where online video is headed. Steve Chen, who earlier served as the company’s chief technology officer before its 2006 sale to Google, has spoken against what he calls the TikTok-ification of the internet. Speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business last year, in a talk later uploaded to YouTube, Chen said the rise of rapid, snackable clips is not something he is comfortable with, especially for children.

As per Fortune, he said, “I think TikTok is entertainment, but it’s purely entertainment. It’s just for that moment. Just shorter-form content equates to shorter attention spans.” That line draws attention because it comes from someone who helped shape the modern video ecosystem in the first place.

1. Attention spans may shrink over time

Chen’s core concern is simple. If children grow up watching only clips that last seconds, they may struggle with anything longer. He said he would not want his own kids to consume only short-form videos and then be unable to sit through content longer than 15 minutes.


He also shared that some parents delay giving children access to highly stimulating short videos. According to him, “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.”

The worry here is not about one funny clip. It is about habit. When the brain gets used to constant switching and bright visuals, longer formats can start to feel slow.

2. Entertainment vs useful content

Chen made a distinction between pure entertainment and content that has depth. While he did not dismiss platforms like TikTok outright, he suggested companies need to think about what they are promoting.

He pointed out that many platforms rushed to copy TikTok’s format. Even YouTube introduced Shorts. But he said companies must balance the push for monetisation and user attention with content that is “actually useful.”

This is where the debate becomes bigger than just kids. The business model rewards engagement. The question is whether engagement alone should decide what people see.

3. Addiction concerns and legal scrutiny

Chen also warned that short-form video distributors could face issues around addictiveness. He suggested safeguards such as stronger age restrictions and limits on usage time for younger users.

There is already legal heat building in this space. A 20-year-old plaintiff has taken Meta to court, alleging she became addicted to its products and suffered mental health problems.

A study published by the National Institutes of Health examined short-form video addiction among college students. It found that such addiction was directly linked to academic procrastination. The research also noted that attentional control played a mediating role, and personality traits like boredom proneness influenced the outcome. In simple words, heavy short-video use was associated with difficulty focusing and delaying important tasks.

An earlier 2013 study referenced similar patterns seen in internet addiction, noting that people often prefer quick rewards and postpone tasks with distant rewards.

4. Other tech leaders echo similar fears

Chen is not alone. Sam Altman has criticised the endless scroll culture, saying the “dopamine hit” of short-form video is “probably messing with kids’ brain development in a super deep way.”

Elon Musk, who owns X, earlier admitted that not limiting his children’s social media use “might have been a mistake.” He said, “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.”

Investor Peter Thiel has also spoken about restricting screen time for his children.

5. The larger shift in online culture

The concern is not about one app. It is about how the internet itself is changing. Feeds are faster. Videos are shorter. Algorithms are sharper. The competition for attention is constant.

Chen’s comments, originally reported by Fortune, add to a growing list of insiders who now question the system they helped build. Short-form video is not going away. But the conversation around limits, safeguards and balance is clearly getting louder.