Problematic social media use, everyday memory failures, and prospective and retrospective lapses: evidence from a large sample of young adults

IntroductionProblematic social media use (PSMU) has become a growing research topic due to its potential psychological and cognitive consequences. However, little research has examined its relationship with everyday memory functioning, particularly specific forms of memory.MethodsA sample of 943 Spanish young adults aged 18 -35 completed validated measures of PSMU, everyday memory failures, prospective memory lapses and retrospective memory lapses. Non-parametric analyses, group comparisons and mediation analyses with bootstrap resampling were conducted.ResultsHigher PSMU was associated with more frequent everyday memory failures and with greater prospective and retrospective lapses. Everyday memory failures mediated a substantial proportion of the association between PSMU and both prospective and retrospective lapses. Participants meeting the proposed clinical cutoff for PSMU reported poorer memory functioning than those below this threshold.DiscussionThese findings suggest that PSMU is associated with greater subjective memory difficulties in daily life, highlighting the relevance of everyday memory failures as a potential explanatory mechanism linking problematic social media use with prospective and retrospective memory problems.

Integrating neuroscience across species and scales

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 15 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02346-5

Neuroscientists have an ever-expanding array of tools for measuring brain activity at multiple scales, motivating efforts to integrate diverse datasets and capitalize on their complementary strengths. The new Triple-N dataset introduced by Li et al. tackles this challenge by conducting large-scale macaque electrophysiology in an experimental paradigm matched to the human 7T fMRI Natural Scenes Dataset.

<![CDATA[Carlos H. Schenck, MD, delivered the keynote address at SLEEP 2026 on REM sleep behavior disorder. Here’s what psychiatrists and mental health clinicians need to know. ]]>

STAT+: Where ‘democracy met science,’ 50 years ago

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Good morning. At a Cambridge bar on Saturday, I watched straight-seeming couples congregate by a television showing basketball, while a more queer-coded crowd lingered at another showing soccer. I don’t think that’s anything, really, but it was fun. 

This ‘never event’ is happening more frequently

A child born with congenital syphilis could suffer dire consequences: bone deformities, brain damage, blindness, deafness, and more. But that should be a ‘never event’ as public health officials say: A pregnant person can receive an injectable form of penicillin to prevent the infection. Somehow, rates keep going up anyway. Between 2012 and 2024, the U.S. saw an 800% increase in babies born with the disease. And since last year, there’s been a shortage of the drug.

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