You know something’s off when you’re watching a soulful rendition of a favourite song at 2X speed. In an anyway 30-second snippet, you hit the 2X button to focus on that one line you love the best.

“I subconsciously developed the habit of watching Reels at 2X speed and didn’t think much of it, until one day, I caught myself doing the same with a video of one of my favourite songs,” says Manya, a 29-year-old working professional from Delhi.

“My brother, who’s also a music lover, was sitting next to me and pointed it out. That’s when it really hit me. My attention span was probably further deteriorating,” she adds.

Watching Reels, which is already a short-form video format, at double speed has become the new normal for Instagram users. In March this year, the platform introduced a feature that lets users fast-forward a Reel by simply long-tapping on either edge of the screen.

“Today, we’re globally launching the ability to play an Instagram Reel at 2X speed. This has been a highly requested feature from our community, and we hope being able to fast forward helps give you more control over your Reels experience as you connect with friends over content you love and enjoy,” Instagram announced.

The move came after Meta extended the time limit for Reels to 3 minutes.

Watching sped-up content – A generic trend

Other video platforms like YouTube and TikTok have already introduced this feature. Even on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video, viewers can fast-forward movies and shows.

“I am an avid movie watcher, but it pains me when I’m in a theatre and find it impossible to skip a boring scene. Whenever I watch a movie at home on a streaming app, I skip unwanted songs and even scenes that I feel aren’t substantial,” says 31-year-old Tanisha, admitting that she isn’t very proud of this new content consumption habit she has developed.

While it’s not new for people to use this feature with long-form videos, applying it to already short video formats raises concerns. Though it may seem like just another feature, getting used to it can significantly affect your attention span, cognitive abilities, and even relationships. This could possibly be the reason why you find it hard to read a book or watch a movie without a phone in your hand.

Impact on our behaviour, attention span

“Our tolerance for both slow and deep content has diminished because of this development. Our brains develop an intolerance toward slow-paced content, including deep conversations and long books as well as peaceful moments, because we constantly experience fast-paced content,” says Sheena Sood, psychologist and counsellor, P. D. Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre in Mumbai.

“The fact that people now prefer watching even these fast-paced videos at double speed suggests they are becoming increasingly impatient. Even a second feels longer, and they want to get to the point faster. This implies that our baseline for patience and tolerance of content length is continually shrinking,” adds Dr Vishnu Gade, consultant, psychiatry, Arete Hospitals.

Essentially, if you watch short videos at 2X speed, you may find it harder to learn new things or pay attention to the details when a loved one is speaking to you – that’s what health experts say.

Content overload and time pressure are among the key reasons why the 2X speed on Reels (and also in general) has people hooked on it.

While experts agree that occasional use of 2X speed, especially for previously seen content, does not cause harm, it is likely to be a problem when everything, including music feels slow to you.

It is clear that this new normal of consuming short-form content is certainly not without a list of cons. And it is not just limited to altering your attention span.

Regularly watching Reels or short clips at double speed increases the risk of superficial engagement. In simple words, you may not be connecting deeply with the content, which eventually results in a lesser information retention.

Reduced comprehension is another by-product of faster playback.

“Faster playback will impair understanding of complex ideas like maths, chemistry, and problem-solving things. Because the speed is increased, the person’s capacity to understand and grasp the whole concept may sometimes be reduced. Thus, when a person skims or skips through the video faster, the whole absorption of the data or complete information leads to shallow learning and reduced long-term memory retention problems,” explains Dr Gade.

Restlessness, decreased creativity, impatience in real life, weak empathy, impaired emotional engagement, fast talking, and emotional instability can also develop as a subsequent effect.

“People develop the habit of performing multiple tasks at once through activities like eating while scrolling and walking while watching sped-up videos, which leads to losing the ability to be completely present in the moment,” she adds.

Watching short-form content at double speed further fuels our addiction for instant gratification and rewires how we process information.

“Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels already cater to short bursts of content, and the 2X speed feature amplifies the demand for instant gratification. This constant dopamine stimulation can impair our brain’s ability to focus deeply, making it harder to engage with long-term content or real-life conversations. It’s not just about shorter attention spans – it’s about rewiring how we process our information altogether,” says Dr Vikram Sharma, senior consultant neurologist, CARE Hospitals, Hyderabad.

In a nutshell, experts say that there is a long-term cognitive and emotional impact which influences how people think, feel, learn, and relate to media and interpersonal relationships.

Good news: Attention span is trainable

Being able to maintain attention on one task at a time and completing them suggests you have a good attention span. You need it to learn new things, to build relationships as it lets you be fully present and helps with deep listening.

You also need a good attention span for mental peace. Mental health experts say a scattered mind generates feelings of anxiety and dissatisfaction that people can’t even explain.

There are ways with which you can mitigate the impact of watching sped-up content and re-train your attention span. It starts with small yet consistent steps. Like, challenging yourself to have tea without checking your phone. Or, taking short screen breaks several times a day.

Limit multitasking, essentially. And reduce digital distractions. You can use features like DND, silent mode to stay away from your phone while working, reading a book, or performing any other task.

Practise deep work or focus time management. A simple (not really) way to that: “Sit without interruptions (while working) for 25-minute sessions, take a 5-minute break, then restart. Gradually, increase duration to train the brain to stay focused longer,” suggests Dr Gade.

“The brain needs fifteen minutes without interruptions to reorient itself properly. The activities such as reading, handwriting, drawing and cooking serve as helpful tools to rebuild attention skills,” adds Sood.

Try stepping out into a park, observing nature, and taking a break for 15–30 minutes without any digital distractions to relearn your focus abilities.

Sleeping well, exercising regularly, eating brain-friendly foods (like omega-3 fatty acids, green leafy vegetables, nuts and water), and avoiding processed food and meditating will also help.

Oh, and indulging in activities like reading books, puzzles, painting, playing a musical instrument, or learning a new language is a must. They enhance cognitive abilities.