Short-form video platforms such as Instagram Reels deliver continuous high-visual-flow stimulation that imposes substantial visual-cognitive load even in the absence of active motor interaction, yet their impact on postural control remains largely unexplored....
No immediate change to clinical practice is warranted, but audiologists and vestibular specialists may consider asking patients with balance disorders about VR or high-visual-flow media use, as acute postural disruption was observed in this lab setting.
As VR-based tools grow in both consumer use and vestibular rehabilitation, understanding how high-visual-flow stimuli acutely destabilize posture is relevant to both patient safety counseling and the design of vestibular rehab protocols.
- 01VR-based posturography was used to measure balance changes during Instagram Reels viewing.
- 02High-visual-flow video content caused acute postural instability in participants.
- 03Study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
- 04Findings are relevant to vestibular rehabilitation and patient safety in VR environments.
- 05Results are preliminary and based on an acute lab exposure, not long-term outcomes.
Viewing Instagram Reels in virtual reality causes acute decreases in postural stability.
studysupportedHigh-visual-flow stimulation is a mechanism linking short-form video content to balance disruption.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42137258
- DOI
- 10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1808641.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Participants exposed to Instagram Reels via virtual reality headset in a controlled lab setting
- Intervention
- Instagram Reels viewing via virtual reality-based posturography
- Comparator
- Baseline or non-high-visual-flow condition
Primary outcomes
Acute changes in postural stability