The impact of table tennis intervention on short video addiction among college students in China: the chained mediation effect of cognitive bias and self-control.

Background: This study focuses on the impact of a 16-week table tennis exercise intervention on college students' short video addiction and explores the chain mediating mechanism of cognitive bias and self-control therein. Currently, the short video addiction rate among college students is high, and physical exercise has shown unique value in digital addiction intervention. Still, the cognitive-behavioral level of the action path is not yet clear. Methods: Sixty college students with short video addiction (daily average usage duration ≥ 4 h) from a certain university in Chengdu, China, were selected and randomly divided into an experimental group (30 people) and a control group (30 people). The experimental group implemented a 16-week, 3-times-a-week moderate-intensity table tennis intervention (60-80% of the maximum heart rate), while the control group maintained regular activities. The Short Video Addiction Scale for College Students (SVAS), Negative Cognitive Processing Bias Questionnaire, and Self-Control Scale were used for pre- and post-tests. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and the Hayes Process plugin (Model 6) were used to test the mediating effect. Results: The table tennis intervention significantly reduced the short video addiction level and cognitive bias and improved self-control ability in the experimental group. The improvement was significantly better than that in the control group. Cognitive bias and self-control formed a chain mediating path, and the total indirect effect accounted for 68.33% of the total effect. Conclusion: Table tennis exercise can inhibit college students' short video addiction through the chain mediating mechanism of reducing cognitive bias and enhancing self-control, providing an empirical basis from the perspective of sports psychology for digital addiction intervention.