<p>This study examined the relationship between problematic short video use and psychological distress among college students, with social comparison orientation as a mediator and self-concept clarity as a moderator. Participants were 1,054 students (114 males, 10.8%; 940 females, 89.2%) from a vocational college in Shandong Province, China, ranging in age from 17 to 21 years (M = 18.51, SD = 0.59). Participants completed the Short Video Addiction Scale, the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure, the Self-Concept Clarity Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Problematic short video use was positively associated with psychological distress, and social comparison orientation partially mediated this association. Self-concept clarity moderated both the association between social comparison orientation and psychological distress and the indirect effect of problematic short video use on psychological distress through social comparison orientation. The indirect effect was strongest at low levels of self-concept clarity, weaker at mean levels, and non-significant at high levels. These findings suggest that problematic short video use may contribute to psychological distress partly by strengthening social comparison tendencies, whereas a clear and stable self-concept may buffer the emotional consequences of these comparison processes.</p>