Low attention span cuts mobile screens in half, split screen videos going viral

Sometimes this short-format video stems from genuine collaboration between creators, while in other cases it is used to bypass copyright restrictions.

Psychologists say that the trend is a direct symptom of our modern digital diet. “Attention spans have sharply declined and continue to shrink as content consumption becomes increasingly rapid and fragmented," said Ishita Pateria, a counselling psychologist. “While audiences once preferred long-form videos, today even bite-sized clips under 60 seconds struggle to hold viewers’ interest for a full minute. The sheer abundance of content on social media leaves users perpetually scrolling, constantly presented with new options and distractions."

Pateria likens the flood of digital content to giving a child too many toys, diminishing their engagement with any one of them. The split-screen format exploits this. “Split-screen videos exploit this phenomenon by introducing a secondary video specifically to distract and stimulate viewers, helping keep them hooked and preventing them from scrolling away while the primary content is delivered," she adds. “With two videos competing for attention rather than just one, split screens effectively anchor viewers."

Creators who use the split-screen template for collaboration find it extremely helpful from a creative perspective.

Two sides of the coin

For creators, this dual-sided world presents both opportunities and dangers. Tejas Manish Shetye, a creator with 262,000 followers as @teekhabanao, uses the feature for creative storytelling. He often collaborates with his father to present contrasting perspectives on parent-child relationships. “It helps add depth and context to a narrative in some instances, while in others it gives original creators where credit is due if other creators add to it or copy it," he said, noting that platforms provide built-in tools like remixing to encourage such partnerships.

The darker side of the trend emerges when creators’ work is reposted without permission. “On one hand, these videos are designed to retain audience attention for over 15 seconds—an important metric that encourages the algorithm to push them further," said Yashvi Bagga, who has over 1.5 million followers on her Instagram account @yashvayayay. “This not only boosts discoverability but also benefits multiple creators at once." She gives an example: “A comedy creator’s content may be paired with a gaming creator’s background gameplay, allowing both forms of content to capture attention simultaneously."

The downside is significant as the reposting culture takes a heavy toll on copyright.

Copying without permission

“Random accounts often republish our work, garnering the same number of views as the original, despite not investing the time, effort, or creativity it took to produce it. We experienced this firsthand with our latest micro-drama series," she said. “Since it perfectly matched the short-format time limit and appealed to low attention spans, it was widely reused by unrelated accounts. Many of these reposts collected lakhs of views, almost equaling our own reach. To make matters worse, when our content is stitched with another video, it becomes extremely difficult to detect and flag these copyright violations," added Bagga, creator of the microdrama series Hamaari Adhuri Kahaani, which racked up millions of views on Instagram.

Lawyers suggest that these videos are popular because they help avoid detection for copyright infringement, although they are still illegal.

“Legally speaking, adding split-screen or background footage doesn’t really shield reposted videos from copyright claims, as the underlying work is still protected. Using it without a licence or fair use or fair dealing justification would constitute infringement," specified Nakul Gandhi, the founder of NG Law Chambers, who represents and consults for several content creators. He explained that what these accounts rely on is more practical than legal: by overlaying another clip, the platform’s automated copyright detection tools sometimes fail to flag the reused content, so the video avoids detection.

Avoiding detection

“The trend is popular because it allows repost accounts to rack up views with already-viral material, while avoiding immediate copyright strikes. But it’s a grey zone and platforms are tightening detection, and rights holders could still pursue action if they wanted," Gandhi said.

Sagar Gokhale, co-founder of Qyuki Digital Media, a creator-focused multi-platform media company, notes that this presents an opportunity for young creators learning to edit to practice their skills.

Amid the debate, some see a silver lining. Sagar Gokhale, co-founder of creator-focused media company Qyuki Digital Media, views it as an entry point for aspiring editors. “For many first-time creators, this is not just about riding trends; it is a training ground," he said. “They are learning editing sense, timing, and how to test ideas before finding their own voice as content creators. With screen time and doomscrolling only increasing, this format has turned into a proving ground for the next generation of storytellers."