Problematic social media use among young adults is associated with more frequent everyday memory failures, according to a study published on Jun. 15. The research highlights potential cognitive effects of excessive online engagement, particularly regarding self-reported memory functioning.
The study, conducted by researchers and published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, examined the relationship between problematic social media use (PSMU) and subjective reports of everyday memory lapses among young Spanish adults aged 18 to 35 years. A total of 943 participants completed an online survey after being recruited via Prolific, with filters applied for nationality, language proficiency, and experience. Candidates who used social media for work or had diagnosed mental or neurological conditions were excluded from the sample.
Participants' average age was 26.6 years; most reported using social media one to three hours daily. Only 5.2% scored at or above the proposed clinical cutoff for PSMU. Researchers assessed PSMU using the six-item Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), while everyday memory failures were measured with a 28-item questionnaire and specific types of lapses—prospective (future-oriented) and retrospective (past-oriented)—were evaluated using a separate scale.
Results showed that higher daily social media use and scores at or above the BSMAS clinical cutoff were consistently linked to greater self-reported memory difficulties across all measures used in the study. Mediation analyses indicated that everyday memory failures accounted for about 74% of the association between problematic social media use and prospective memory lapses, as well as approximately 72% for retrospective lapses.
The findings revealed a graded relationship: individuals spending more than five hours per day on social media reported higher levels of both problematic use and subjective memory problems compared to those spending less than one hour per day on these platforms. However, researchers noted that effect sizes related to daily usage groups were small, and adjustments for factors such as sleep quality or stress levels were not fully addressed.
Authors concluded that general everyday memory problems statistically account for much of the link between excessive social media engagement and specific types of self-reported forgetfulness in daily life, but emphasized that causal mechanisms remain unclear.
