Why watching workout & sports videos isn't making Gen Z any fitter

A new study led by researchers at Seoul National University of Science and Technology finds that watching sports content on YouTube doesn't actually get college students moving more in real life.

STUDY DETAILS

Research question: Does watching YouTube sports content get college students to actually exercise more?

Press Release Link: https://en.seoultech.ac.kr/news/res_spotlight?do=commonview&searchtext=&searchtype=-1&nowpage=1&bnum=58278&bidx=895333&cate=23

Key findings:

• Watching Doesn't Mean Doing: Motivated viewers wanted to keep watching, but that didn't carry over into exercise.

• Tech Acceptance Isn't Enough: Finding videos useful and easy to watch explained continued viewing, not working out.

• A Missing Link: Neither motivation nor intent to watch was tied to how often students actually exercised.

• What Could Help: Adding exercise guides, links to local facilities, and social support could turn viewers into participants.

Lead researcher Professor Youngho Kim says, "Motivation to use YouTube sports content and technology acceptance increase users' intention to engage with the content. However, these factors do not directly translate into actual sports participation."

The study appears in Performance Enhancement & Health (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2026.100453).