Gen Z users keep deleting AI short-drama apps, only to reinstall them days later

A MarsBit-republished feature from Biaowai Biaoli follows several Chinese Gen Z users who say AI-generated short dramas have become hard to put down, even when they try repeatedly to quit. One interviewee, preparing for graduate study abroad, spent 1,000 yuan on an e-reader and downloaded 30 classics in an attempt to rebuild her attention span, but said the device ended up unused while she finished 10 seasons of AI short dramas in a month. Another, a young worker, described the format as a late-night escape from hospital work, anxiety and isolation, saying she can accept watching 3.8 hours a day as long as sleep, meals, exercise and daily life remain intact. Two students preparing for civil service exams said they repeatedly deleted and reinstalled short-drama apps as test pressure mounted. One said she watched as much as eight hours a day at her peak before shifting to a reward-based approach, while another argued he is not addicted despite watching three to four series a day, framing AI short dramas as a new form of entertainment that has replaced web fiction, games and short videos.