“Hongguo shorts make people feel dull” trends in China as WeChat rolls out Green Bubble Shorts

A debate over ByteDance’s Hongguo Shorts has surged onto Chinese social media, with the hashtag “#Hongguo shorts make people feel less sharp#” reaching the trending list. Users complained that binge-watching the platform’s rapid-fire plot twists left them mentally drained, with some posting screenshots showing more than 10 hours of daily screen time. Zhejiang Chinese Medical University physician Zou Ying said the feeling does not mean viewers have actually become less intelligent. She attributed it to temporary dopamine depletion, which can reduce focus and comprehension for a period of time, and advised limiting short-drama viewing to no more than 30 minutes from the perspective of eye protection and sleep quality. The discussion has also highlighted competition in China’s short-drama market. Hongguo Shorts, a free short-drama app owned by ByteDance, previously reported average daily use of about 125 minutes per user. According to a report cited from Kechuangban Daily, the app reached 168 million daily active users in July 2026, up 107% year over year. A Nomura report on the top 50 apps by usage time in China for August 2026 said ByteDance apps accounted for 41.8% of total usage time, while Tencent apps held 28.6%. Tencent has now launched the Green Bubble Shorts mini program inside WeChat, allowing users to watch free short dramas without downloading a separate app. The service is aimed at the same market as Hongguo and relies on ads inserted between episodes, while content comes from third-party producers and distributors.