With the booming development of short-form video applications (SVAs), problematic use of SVAs raises new concerns. Taking a life history approach, the present study revealed that problematic use of SVAs may be a manifestation of fast life history strategies (LHS), associated with a lack of consideration of future consequences and sole focus on immediate rewards. An analysis of the responses of 376 TikTok users demonstrated that slow LHS was negatively associated with problematic SVA use and was positively associated with future orientation, which in turn was negatively associated with problematic SVA use. This set of associations suggests that problematic SVA use or other behavioral addiction represents a fast LHS manifestation that discounts the future by focusing on immediate hedonic rewards.