Since the arrival of TikTok, the songs that have grown the most in terms of popularity have largely been growing shorter. Short-form content sells you a moment within a song, and people search specifically for that bit. You want the belting chorus or the witty lyric, not a 3-minute prelude to it.
And so, songs got shorter. As per a BBC report, they fell to a shocking low in 2019, and certain hits are barely reaching above two minutes long. PinkPanthress, one of the bigger emerging names from this era, mostly has tracks ranging from a minute long to just over two minutes.
Largely, this is because attention-deficit pop discards most of the formula that makes up a traditional pop song. There's rarely an intro, no pre-chorus, bridges can be thrown out the window, and hopes are dashed of a third chorus.
But, the BBC also notes that people are beginning to enjoy longer songs again. Pink Pony Club, Messy, People Watching, they all top the four-minute mark and are edging closer to five minutes. The songs listed all have strong messages, with powerful themes, showing that people aren't really interested in how long a song is if they like what's at the core of the lyrics.
So, if you were worried that kids these days would lead to songs being 10-seconds long in the near-future, it seems that we're heading back towards the usual spot of around 3-5 minutes.