Watching sports and fitness videos on YouTube may inspire young adults, but it does not necessarily make them more physically active.
Researchers at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH) studied digital habits among university students in their 20s.
Professor Youngho Kim and Dojin An examined whether online sports content could encourage viewers to participate in real-life physical activities.
Their peer-reviewed study appeared in Performance Enhancement & Health. The research focused on students who regularly watch sports-related videos.
YouTube Keeps Young Adults Engaged
YouTube has become a major source of sports and fitness content in recent years.
Users can watch game highlights, workout routines and diet advice. They can also find equipment reviews, training tips and game strategies.
College-aged adults form one of the platform’s major user groups. Many watch sports content for entertainment, advice, social interaction and virtual sports experiences.
The researchers wanted to understand whether this digital engagement could encourage physical activity.
Study Finds Gap Between Watching and Exercising
The researchers surveyed university students who regularly watched sports videos.
They used the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine their digital behaviour. The model looks at how usefulness and ease of use influence technology adoption.
Participants rated their motivation and intention to continue watching content on a five-point scale.
The researchers also recorded how often participants completed at least 15 minutes of physical activity each week.
The findings showed a clear difference between online engagement and real-world exercise.
Students who found YouTube sports content useful and accessible showed stronger motivation to keep watching.
However, that motivation did not result in increased sports participation. Viewing frequency also failed to predict higher levels of physical activity.
Researchers Suggest Practical Solutions
The study found that TAM could explain why students continued watching sports videos. However, it could not explain whether they would exercise themselves.
“In our analysis, we found that 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,” explained Professor Kim.
The researchers suggest that creators and fitness platforms should provide practical tools alongside videos.
These could include structured exercise plans, links to nearby sports facilities and community support.
They also recommend coaching that can build viewers’ confidence and encourage participation.
Such features could help close the gap between consuming fitness content online and becoming physically active offline.
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