When Screens Replace Sleep: Short Video Addiction Impairs Executive Function Through Sleep Disruption in Youth—Is Physical Activity the Antidote?

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the association between short video addiction (SVA) and executive function (EF) in adolescents, incorporating sleep quality (SQ) as a mediator and physical activity (PA) as a moderator. METHODS: A sample of 978 adolescents from Hunan and Sichuan provinces was assessed using standardized measures of SVA, EF, PA, and SQ. RESULTS: Significant demographic differences were observed, with males reporting lower SVA and higher PA than females, while only children, urban residents, and non-left-behind adolescents showed more favorable outcomes across key variables. Correlation analyses revealed that SVA was negatively associated with SQ, PA, and EF, whereas SQ, PA, and EF were mutually positively correlated. Mediation analysis identified SQ as a significant partial mediator in the SVA-EF relationship, accounting for 8.11% of the total effect. Moderated mediation analysis showed that PA significantly moderated the direct pathway between SVA and EF: as PA levels increased, the negative association between SVA and EF became more pronounced, whereas PA did not exert a regulatory influence on the SVA-SQ pathway. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that while SQ partially mediates the SVA-EF relationship, PA serves as a significant moderator in the direct pathway, with important implications for addressing adolescent SVA and supporting EF development through sleep quality enhancement and physical activity promotion.