biostudies-literatureUnknown13Mangiulli IPeople are often exposed to fake news. Such an exposure to misleading information might lead to false memory creation. We examined whether people can form false memories for COVID-19-related fake news. Furthermore, we investigated which individual factors might predict false memory formation for fake news. In two experiments, we provided participants with two pieces of COVID-19-related fake news along with a non-probative photograph. In Experiment 1, 41% (<i>n</i> = 66/161) of our sample reported at least one false memory for COVID-19-related fake news. In Experiment 2, even a higher percentage emerged (54.9%; <i>n</i> = 185/337). Moreover, in Experiment 2, participants with conspiracy beliefs were more likely to report false memories for fake news than those without such beliefs, irrespecFrontiers in psychology972004https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9608342biostudies-literatureFalse memory and COVID-19: How people fall for fake news about COVID-19 in digital contexts.PMC9608342Mangiulli IBattista FCoveliers EWebster TCCurci AKafi NAOtgaar HfalseFalse memory and COVID-19: How people fall for fake news about COVID-19 in digital contexts.People are often exposed to fake news. Such an exposure to misleading information might lead to false memory creation. We examined whether people can form false memories for COVID-19-related fake news. Furthermore, we investigated which individual factors might predict false memory formation for fake news. In two experiments, we provided participants with two pieces of COVID-19-related fake news along with a non-probative photograph. In Experiment 1, 41% (<i>n</i> = 66/161) of our sample reported at least one false memory for COVID-19-related fake news. In Experiment 2, even a higher percentage emerged (54.9%; <i>n</i> = 185/337). Moreover, in Experiment 2, participants with conspiracy beliefs were more likely to report false memories for fake news than those without such beliefs, irrespec2022-01-01T00:00:00Z20222025-04-04T09:41:51.464Z2025-04-04T09:41:51.464ZS-EPMC96083423631206810.3389/fpsyg.2022.972004