From Digital Inclusion to Behavioral Loss of Control: A Study on Age-Friendly Experience Design for the Dilemma of Short Video Platform Addiction Among Older Adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61360/BoniGHSS262019990206Keywords:
older adults, short video platforms, age-friendly design, experience design, behavioral loss of controlAbstract
Short video platforms are important digital media for older adults to access information, seek emotional solace, and participate in society, facilitating their digital inclusion. However, driven by algorithmic recommendation, immersive interaction, and other mechanisms, some older users have developed uncontrolled usage, leading to problems like imbalanced time management and weakened real-life interaction. Unlike existing studies, this paper defines this addiction dilemma as an age-friendly experience design issue from a design science perspective, noting its formation is jointly caused by individual vulnerability and retention-oriented platform design. The dilemma is characterized by easy access but difficult exit, excessive immersion, insufficient discernment, and feedback dependence. Five optimization paths for age-friendly experience design are proposed to promote older adults’ shift from "accessible usage" to "healthy usage".
References
Al-Obaydi, L. H., & Pikhart, M. (2026). Artificial intelligence addiction: exploring the emerging phenomenon of addiction in the AI age. AI & SOCIETY, 41(2), 1577–1593.
Amouzadeh, E., Dianat, I., Faradmal, J., & Babamiri, M. (2025). Optimizing mobile app design for older adults: systematic review of age-friendly design. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 37(1), 248.
Bahrampoor Givi, S., Gagnon-Roy, M., Pigot, H., & Provencher, V. (2025). User Experience of Older Adults With an Age-Friendly Transportation Planning E-Tool: Scoping Review. JMIR Human Factors, 12, e63273.
Carlsson, C., & Walden, P. (2015). Digital wellness for young elderly: research methodology and technology adaptation.
Cui, Y., Yang, Z., & Gao, H. (2026). The Connection Paradox: How Social Support Facilitates Short Video Addiction and Solitary Well-Being among Older Adults in China. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 28(1).
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Earnshaw, Y., Tawfik, A. A., & Schmidt, M. (2017). User experience design. Foundations of learning and instructional design technology.
Eliseo, M. A., Oyelere, S. S., da Silva, C. A., Silveira, I. F., Tomczyk, Ł., Hercovici, M., ... & Martins, V. F. (2020, June). Framework to creation of inclusive and didactic digital material for elderly. In 2020 15th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI) (pp. 1–6). IEEE.
Gradiški, M., Cviljušac, V., & Skala, T. (2023). Adapting the user interfaces by applying the principles of inclusive design for better accessibility for the elderly. Printing & Design 2023: zbornik radova, 86–93.
Griffiths, M. (2005). A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework. Journal of Substance Use, 10(4), 191–197.
He, Y., Liu, D., Guo, R., & Guo, S. (2023). Information cocoons on short video platforms and its influence on depression among the elderly: a moderated mediation model. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 2469–2480.
Jia, Y., Liu, T., & Yang, Y. (2022). The relationship between real-life social support and internet addiction among the elderly in China. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 981307.
Jie, Z., & Ibrahim, O. (2024). Social media short video addiction for the elderly: a bibliometric analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, 14(12).
Jimenez, J., Del Rio, A., Berman, A. N., & Grande, M. (2023). Personalizing digital health: adapting health technology systems to meet the needs of different older populations. Healthcare, 11(15), 2140.
Kim, S. H., Kim, Y. H., Lee, C. H., & Lee, Y. (2024). Smartphone usage and overdependence risk among middle-aged and older adults: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 413.
Lee, Y. (2012). The Ingenuity of Ageing. Lulu.com.
Li, H., Mao, M., & Yin, Y. Q. (2026). Research on aging-friendly design risk assessment model based on non-parametric estimation. Scientific Reports.
Li, H., Shi, L., & Xing, Y.-L. (2025). The mediating role of health awareness in the relationship between health information behavior and health outcomes among the older adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1492472. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1492472
Li, H., Xing, Y., Chen, Z., & Jiang, H. (2025). The impact of hydrological wellness design on the psychological health and social interaction of rural elderly people. Marine & Freshwater Research, 76, MF25073. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF25073
Li, T. (2025). Research on Influencing Factors of Information Addiction in the Elderly Based on the COM-B Model. Frontiers in Healthcare Technology, 2(1), 91–110.
Liang, Z., Xie, Y., Xu, R., & Gu, P. (2024). New Communication Technology and the Elderly: A Study on the Continuous Use of the Extreme Edition APP for Middle-Aged and Senior Citizens. Behavioral Sciences, 14(12), 1126.
Liao, M. (2024). Analysis of the causes, psychological mechanisms, and coping strategies of short video addiction in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1391204.
Liu, Y., Ni, X., & Niu, G. (2021). Perceived stress and short-form video application addiction: a moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 747656.
Mace, R. (1985). Universal design: Barrier free environments for everyone. Designers West, 33(1), 147–152.
Martins, N., Ralha, S., & Simoes, R. (2021). ICT4Silver: design guidelines for the development of digital interfaces for elderly users. In International Conference Innovation in Engineering (pp. 178–188). Springer.
McGinley, C., Myerson, J., Briscoe, G., & Carroll, S. (2022). Towards an age-friendly design lens. Journal of Population Ageing, 15(2), 541–556.
McLellan, H. (2000). Experience design. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 3(1), 59–69.
Sánchez, D., Sabaté, F., & Tomás, J. (2018). Design for older adults: Inclusive design trends and challenges. Gerontechnology, 17(2), 90–101.
Scott, W. R. (1995). Institutions and organizations. Sage Publications.
Sheeran, P. (2002). Intention-behavior relations: a conceptual and empirical review. European Review of Social Psychology, 12(1), 1–30.
Sun, S., Qi, N., Li, H., & Xiao, L. (2025). Examining factors influencing the adoption of smart integrated devices by the elderly in the digital era: insights from behavioral design theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1540201.
Türk Kurtça, T., & Doğru, M. C. (2026). Short Video Addiction and Life Satisfaction: Sequential Longitudinal Pathways via Loneliness and Anxiety. The Journal of Psychology, 1–21.
van der Vaart, R., & Drossaert, C. H. C. (2017). Development of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument: Measuring a broad spectrum of health literacy skills among the general population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(12), 1567.
van Dijk, J. A. (2005). The deepening divide: Inequality in the information society. Sage Publications.
van Hoof, J., & Marston, H. R. (2021). Age-friendly cities and communities: State of the art and future perspectives. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1644.
Venkatesh, V., & Bala, H. (2008). Technology acceptance model 3 and a research agenda on interventions. Decision Sciences, 39(2), 273–315.
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425–478.
Yan, T., Su, C., Xue, W., Hu, Y., & Zhou, H. (2024). Mobile phone short video use negatively impacts attention functions: an EEG study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18, 1383913.
Yates, S., Kirby, J., & Lockley, E. (2015). Digital media use: Differences and inequalities in relation to class and age. Sociological Research Online, 20(4), 71–91.
Yu, X., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, X. (2024). The short video usage motivation and behavior of middle-aged and old users. Library Hi Tech, 42(2), 624–641.
Zhang, R., Su, Y., Lin, Z., & Hu, X. (2024). The impact of short video usage on the mental health of elderly people. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 612.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Hong Li, Hongling Jiang, Yangyang Jiang

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


