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

BACKGROUND

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.

OBJECTIVE

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

METHODS

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.

RESULTS

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).

CONCLUSION

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.