The moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and doomscrolling

Onur Ağaoğlu; Hale Ekin Akçay; Tuğçe Baş

The moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and doomscrolling

Abstract

In a digitalising world, the effects of the intense and negative content flow to which adolescents are exposed on cognitive processes constitute a critical area of study in the cyberpsychology literature. The primary aim of this study is to examine the moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and their doomscrolling behaviours, using a correlational survey model. The study was conducted with the participation of 162 volunteer secondary school students attending four different secondary schools and a Science and Arts Centre (SAC) in the province of Ankara. The “Malicious Creativity Scale”, the “Doomscrolling Scale” and the “Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale” were used to collect the data. For data analysis, SPSS statistical software and the PROCESS macro add-in (Model 1) developed by Andrew F. Hayes were utilised. The results of the correlation analysis indicate a moderate, positive and statistically significant relationship between high school students’ levels of doomscrolling and their tendencies towards malicious creativity. Furthermore, positive and statistically significant relationships were identified between the level of AI anxiety and the other two variables. In the analysis of the moderating role—the central issue of the study—it was determined that AI anxiety does not have a statistically significant moderating function in the relationship between malicious creativity and doomscrolling. This result suggests that secondary school students may not yet have internalised AI technology as a direct threat. The research findings were discussed within the framework of the ‘Online Disinhibition Effect Theory’; it was assessed that the psychological distance created by the digital screen and the sense of anonymity facilitate adolescents’ rationalisation of their destructive creativity impulses. The findings suggest that there may be some correlations between secondary school students’ digital consumption habits and concerns regarding technology, and their tendencies towards malicious creativity.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Mamak Science and Arts Centre

Ethical Statement

We are indebted to all the secondary school students who volunteered to participate in the data collection process, and to the esteemed academics who developed the data collection tools and granted permission for their use in our work

Thanks

We would like to express our gratitude to the management and all staff of the Ankara Mamak Science and Arts Centre for their support and the opportunities they provided during this research process.Furthermore, we would like to thank the Presidency of the Council of Education of the Ministry of National Education for permitting the conduct of this research, and all school administrations that cooperated during the fieldwork process for their contributions.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Special Talented Education, Special Education and Disability (Other), Educational Psychology

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Onur Ağaoğlu ^*
0000-0001-8718-3804
Türkiye

Hale Ekin Akçay
0009-0000-0974-3765
Türkiye

Tuğçe Baş
0009-0007-4091-1385
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

June 11, 2026

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

March 4, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 11, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA23UN74GG

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Ağaoğlu, O., Akçay, H. E., & Baş, T. (2026). The moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and doomscrolling. Journal of Gifted Education and Creativity, Advanced Online Publication, 27-39. https://izlik.org/JA23UN74GG

AMA

1.Ağaoğlu O, Akçay HE, Baş T. The moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and doomscrolling. JGEDC. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication):27-39. https://izlik.org/JA23UN74GG

Chicago

Ağaoğlu, Onur, Hale Ekin Akçay, and Tuğçe Baş. 2026. “The Moderating Role of AI Anxiety in the Relationship Between High School Students’ Levels of Malicious Creativity and Doomscrolling”. Journal of Gifted Education and Creativity, no. Advanced Online Publication: 27-39. https://izlik.org/JA23UN74GG.

EndNote

Ağaoğlu O, Akçay HE, Baş T (June 1, 2026) The moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and doomscrolling. Journal of Gifted Education and Creativity Advanced Online Publication 27–39.

IEEE

[1]O. Ağaoğlu, H. E. Akçay, and T. Baş, “The moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and doomscrolling”, JGEDC, no. Advanced Online Publication, pp. 27–39, June 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA23UN74GG

ISNAD

Ağaoğlu, Onur - Akçay, Hale Ekin - Baş, Tuğçe. “The Moderating Role of AI Anxiety in the Relationship Between High School Students’ Levels of Malicious Creativity and Doomscrolling”. Journal of Gifted Education and Creativity. Advanced Online Publication (June 1, 2026): 27-39. https://izlik.org/JA23UN74GG.

JAMA

1.Ağaoğlu O, Akçay HE, Baş T. The moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and doomscrolling. JGEDC. 2026;:27–39.

MLA

Ağaoğlu, Onur, et al. “The Moderating Role of AI Anxiety in the Relationship Between High School Students’ Levels of Malicious Creativity and Doomscrolling”. Journal of Gifted Education and Creativity, no. Advanced Online Publication, June 2026, pp. 27-39, https://izlik.org/JA23UN74GG.

Vancouver

1.Onur Ağaoğlu, Hale Ekin Akçay, Tuğçe Baş. The moderating role of AI anxiety in the relationship between high school students’ levels of malicious creativity and doomscrolling. JGEDC [Internet]. 2026 Jun. 1;(Advanced Online Publication):27-39. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA23UN74GG