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4. Results and discussion
4.1. Results
Descriptive statistics indicated that students spent an average of 3.1 hours per day
consuming short-form digital media content. Additionally, 74% of participants reported
using AI tools at least twice per week for academic purposes, while 29% reported daily
use.
Table 1. Descriptive statistics for digital media use, AI usage and deep thinking
performance
Variable N Mean SD Min Max

Daily short-form video consumption (hours) 214 3.10 1.24 0.5 6.5
AI-assisted academic tool usage 214 3.42 1.08 1 5
Deep thinking assessment score 214 64.53 9.71 41 88

Sustained attention task score 214 67.18 10.32 39 90

Table 2. Pearson correlations among digital media consumption, ai usage, and cognitive
outcomes
Variable 1 2 3 4
1. Short-form video consumption —
2. AI-generated content usage .38 —
3. Deep thinking performance −.43 −.36 —
4. Sustained attention score −.41 −.29 .47 —

Correlation analysis revealed a moderate negative correlation between short-form
media consumption and deep thinking performance (r = −.43, p < .01). Students who
spent more time consuming fast-paced digital content tended to demonstrate lower
levels of analytical depth in their written responses.
A similar pattern was observed with AI usage. Students who frequently relied on AI-
generated content for writing tasks showed lower DTAT scores compared with students
who used AI primarily for feedback or idea development.
Correlation analysis revealed a moderate negative correlation between AI-
generated content usage and deep thinking performance (r = −.36, p < .01). Students who
use AI-assisted academic tool tended to demonstrate lower levels of analytical depth in
their written responses.
Table 3. Independent samples t-test comparing deep thinking scores by digital media
consumption

Group N Mean SD
High digital media use (>4 hours/day) 88 60.21 9.83
Moderate/low media use (<4 hours/day) 126 67.72 8.41
t(212) = 3.91, p < .01
Students with higher digital media consumption demonstrated significantly lower
deep thinking scores.
Independent samples t-tests showed that students with high digital media
consumption (>4 hours per day) scored significantly lower on the deep thinking
assessment than students with lower consumption levels (t = 3.91, p < .01).

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