The hashtag “#Hongguo shorts make people feel less sharp#” has climbed China’s trending charts, as users complain that long sessions on ByteDance’s Hongguo Shorts leave them mentally sluggish. Some described the app’s fast-paced storylines as hard to stop watching, while others called such short dramas “electronic drugs.” Screenshots shared by users showed daily usage on Hongguo Shorts running past 10 hours.
A doctor says the feeling is temporary, not a drop in IQ
Zou Ying, a physician at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, told media that the dense stream of twists in short dramas can keep stimulating dopamine, pushing the brain into a state of passive excitement and overload. After that, routine tasks may feel more tiring. She said the sensation of “getting dumber” comes from depleted dopamine reserves, which can temporarily weaken focus and comprehension, but does not mean a person’s IQ has actually declined.
Zou also said the pleasure from watching short dramas does not amount to real mental rest. From the standpoint of eye protection and the effect of blue light on sleep, she recommended keeping viewing time within 30 minutes.
Hongguo’s usage data and daily viewing time
Hongguo Shorts is a free short-drama app owned by ByteDance. Previously disclosed figures show Hongguo users spend about 125 minutes a day on average. Douyin users spend around 112 to 120 minutes, while WeChat users spend about 82 to 85 minutes. On that basis, Hongguo’s average daily use comes to a little over two hours per person.
Kechuangban Daily reported that as of July 2026, Hongguo Shorts’ standalone app had reached 168 million daily active users, up 107% from a year earlier. The report also noted that daily active user data only shows whether someone opened the app that day, not how long each person watched.
Nomura: ByteDance apps took 41.8% of usage time in August
According to a Nomura report covering the top 50 apps in China by usage time in August 2026, ByteDance apps accounted for 41.8% and Tencent apps for 28.6%. A year earlier, the split was 34.2% versus 30.9%. Based on those figures, ByteDance gained 7.6 percentage points over the year, while Tencent lost 2.3 percentage points.
The report, citing QuestMobile data, said the top 50 apps make up about 93% of total mobile internet usage time in China. Within that ranking, Hongguo’s usage time in August rose 182% year over year, with its share climbing from 2.2% to 5.9%, putting it in fourth place. Tencent had only WeChat in the top four, with an 18.3% share, down 1 percentage point from a year earlier.
Tencent launches Green Bubble Shorts inside WeChat
Tencent has recently introduced the Green Bubble Shorts mini program within WeChat. Users can watch short dramas for free without downloading a separate app. The report said the product is aimed directly at Hongguo Shorts.
Its business model relies on ads inserted between episodes. Tencent does not take part in production and instead provides traffic and access, while the actual shows come from third-party producers and distributors. According to the summary in the source material, Green Bubble Shorts is offering up to 100% revenue incentives for newly co-distributed dramas.
Questions raised by the discussion
Do short dramas really make people less intelligent?
Zou said the feeling is tied to dopamine depletion and is temporary. She added that IQ does not actually fall, and advised limiting viewing time to no more than 30 minutes for the sake of eyesight and sleep.
How many people use Hongguo Shorts?
According to Kechuangban Daily, Hongguo Shorts’ standalone app reached 168 million daily active users in July 2026, up 107% year over year. That figure measures how many people opened the app on a given day, not how long they stayed.