Association of Social Media Engagement with Short-Term Memory and Academic Performance

A Study Among Undergraduate Dental Students

Autori

  • Basim M.H. Zwain
  • Salman Abdulhussain Hintau
  • Mohammed Hussain M. Alsharbaty Branch of Prosthodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Al-Ameed, Karbala 56001, Iraq
  • Ashraf Shubbar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/d3000.2026.1414

Parole chiave:

Dental Education, Social Media, Memory, Cognition, Academic Performance

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the association between the level of engagement with social media, measured by daily online hours, and its impact on short-term memory, the last three years of college academic performance, and prior secondary school ministerial examination grade point average in a sample of dental students at the University of Al-Ameed, College of Dentistry in Karbala, Iraq. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 558 participants (216 males and 342 females) aged 21–24 years. They were students at the College of Dentistry/ University of Al-Ameed. They were grouped according to their daily social media engagement hours into five ascending groups: A, B, C, D, and E. Their short-term memory test (STMT) scores, academic performance (CP) scores, and prior secondary school ministerial examination grade point averages (MEGPA) were put down and statistically analyzed. A significant positive correlation was found between prior MEGPA and CP, indicating consistency in academic aptitude. Critically, a significant negative correlation was observed between the number of daily online hours (social media engagement) and MEGPA, CP, and STMT. The negative impact was intensified with increasing engagement hours, with female students exhibiting a more pronounced vulnerability. Students with lower academic performance might engage more in social media, as the present study revealed that elevated engagement with social media was associated with lower academic achievement, and this detrimental effect is more severe for female students. These findings underscore the need for digital wellness interventions and gender-aware educational policies to mitigate the potential cognitive and academic costs of excessive online engagement among college students.

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Pubblicato

2026-06-16

Fascicolo

V. 14 N. 1 (2026)

Sezione

Adults & the Elderly

Licenza

Copyright (c) 2026 Basim M.H. Zwain, Salman Abdulhussain Hintau, Mohammed Hussain M. Alsharbaty, Ashraf Shubbar

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