Caught in the daily scroll: How upward social comparison fuels daily anxiety during short video use among Chinese young adults

The rapid growth of short video platforms has raised concerns about their potential impact on young people’s mental health and well-being. However, the dynamic relationship between short video use and daily anxiety symptoms remains poorly understood. To address this gap, this study employed the experience sampling method (ESM) and dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM) to examine their bidirectional relationship in a representative sample of Chinese young adults (N = 389; Mage = 20.38 years, SD = 1.44 years; 51.1% male). The results indicated that at the within-person level, there were no significant bidirectional effects between short video use (i.e., active use, passive use, or total use time) and daily anxiety symptoms. However, upward social comparison tendency moderated the within-person effect of passive short video use on subsequent anxiety symptoms. Specifically, individuals with higher levels of upward social comparison experienced greater anxiety during periods of increased passive short video use. In contrast, those with lower levels of upward social comparison experienced less anxiety under similar conditions. These findings suggest that while short video use may not directly contribute to daily anxiety, its psychological impact is contingent upon individual differences in social comparison. In particular, those prone to upward comparison may be more vulnerable to anxiety during passive consumption of short video content.