Social Media Use and Jaw Motor Activity: Insights From Electromyography and Self-Report Data

Oral behaviors (OBs) are recognized risk factors for temporomandibular disorders. Social media use has been reported to be linked with stress, a key regulator of jaw motor activity. Whether social media use increases the incidence of OBs remains undetermined.

To investigate the impact of social media use on jaw motor activity.

Seventy-two individuals (36 females, 36 males; 22.4 ± 2.8 years) completed an online survey assessing their screen habits and OBs using the oral behaviour checklist (OBC). A subset of 30 healthy participants (15 females, 15 males; 22.2 ± 2.0 years) completed an in-person experimental session involving three 30-min tasks (silent reading, using social media and watching a documentary on TV). The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the right masseter was measured throughout the session. OBs were identified as events with EMG amplitude exceeding 10% of the participants' maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) lasting at least 2 s. General linear and mixed-effect models were used to test relationships between screen habits, OBC scores, and task-related EMG metrics.

Mean ± SD daily social media use was 154 ± 73 min on weekdays and increased to 185 ± 85 min on weekends (p < 0.001). Time spent on social media was a significant but weak predictor of OBC scores (B = 0.042, SE = 0.014, t = 3.009; 95% CI = 0.014-0.070; p = 0.004). No significant differences in OB frequency, duration, or amplitude were observed across experimental tasks (all p > 0.05).

While social media use was modestly associated with self-reported OBs, it did not significantly affect jaw motor activity in a controlled experimental setting. Further studies using ambulatory EMG recordings are recommended.