The adaptive ecological trap: a grounded theory study of adolescent AI dependency

Editorial reading guide · Independence

What need might frequent AI reliance be filling for my teenager?

Uses adolescents’ accounts to frame dependence as a relationship among unmet needs, technological appeal, and the surrounding environment. The proposed four-stage trap is a qualitative explanatory model, useful for asking what support AI is compensating for and what independence feels difficult to regain.

Study context

38 secondary-school students in China selected for frequent GenAI use and indications of dependency

Age / stage: 12–18 years; mean 14.9 years

Read with three questions

1. Which reported difficulties preceded compensatory AI use, rather than being demonstrated consequences of it?
2. How did participants describe the difference between useful help and feeling unable to stop delegating?
3. What real-world support or relationship could address one of those needs without assuming every frequent user is dependent?

Keep the limits in view

Teacher nomination and purposive/theoretical sampling favor visible difficulties and do not estimate prevalence. Retrospective interviews cannot establish the temporal or causal feedback loops shown in the model. No clinical diagnostic instrument or tested family intervention validates the proposed pathway.