Why are teens mewing?

A guide to the mewing jawline trend

"Mewing" is a social media trend that's taken the teen community by storm.

This came from Dr. John Mew and suggests that by flattening your tongue to the roof of your mouth, which changes how the jaw rests, you can solve issues like crooked teeth or jaw pain. 

It's essentially being promoted on social media as a hack to improve how the jawline and chin looks.

Is there any truth to this? 

Dr. John Mew and his followers claim it works, but experts doubt its effectiveness – Dr. Mew even lost his dental licence for promoting it without strong proof! 

So despite its popularity on social media, there is no clear scientific evidence to support “mewing”.  

It may offer ideas for the future, but it's not a proven alternative to established dental procedures.

Why are we talking about this? 

Whilst “mewing” may be harmless, teachers have been making reports that teens are "mewing" in the classroom.

According to teachers, when asked a question, teens are pointing to their jaws to indicate they can't answer because they're actively “mewing”. 

It's hard to know exactly why some teens are doing this, but possible reasons are… 

1️⃣ Teens are taking “mewing” too seriously, and don’t want to risk stopping to speak in case it doesn’t work 

2️⃣ Teens are using it as an excuse to not participate in class, or to show that they don't care

Worried your teen is "mewing"? 

If you have concerns they view the trend as fact or are doing it in the classroom, then it's a great opportunity to have a chat with them about “mewing” and debunk it. 

If you’re not sure how to approach the conversation, here are some ideas… 

1️⃣ Share a TikTok or reel where someone is promoting “mewing” and say: “what do you think of this?" 

2️⃣ Share luna's article debunking mewing with them (make sure they have luna downloaded to access this) – here's a link to the app article if you need! 

3️⃣ Casually mention “mewing” when together, like on a walk or in the car: “have you heard of mewing?"

Finally, why not support your teen with a luna subscription?

Our app, luna, has dedicated advice on this topic which can help them feel more empowered through adolescence.

You can think of luna as a modern, digital approach to wellbeing – it’s cost-effective, verified by doctors and safeguarding experts, and has a direct line into the biggest concerns facing teens today – so it’s actually addressing what they need advice on, when they need it.

If you’ve been looking for an antidote to the misinformation and negativity shared on social media or forums, you can get luna for your teen via our luna premium page for the price of a coffee each month or manage their subscription by downloading luna yourself and signing up as a parent (it's "we are luna" in app stores).