Mindfulness as a protective factor against online risk-taking in middle school-aged children: the predictive effects of demographic and personal characteristics.
Rabia Şengün Afşin, Özcan Doğan, Ayşe Koçyiğit Özlü
Frontiers in Psychology February 4, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1676671 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional correlational survey study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 574 |
| Population | Middle school students in Ankara, Türkiye |
| Measures | Online Risk-Taking Scale, Mindfulness Scale for Children and Adolescents, Demographic and Personal Information Questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Children Adolescence Middle school Online risk-taking |
| Key findings | Mindfulness and online risk-taking were significantly negatively correlated among middle school students. Age, gender, academic achievement, and daily screen time were associated with online risk-taking, while age, gender, birth order, father's employment status, academic achievement, social relationships, and daily screen time were associated with mindfulness. The authors argue mindfulness may help protect children online and call for further research and educational interventions. |
Abstract
Online risk-taking among middle school-aged children is a growing concern, along with its potential consequences. With the widespread use of internet technologies, the likelihood of children encountering online risks can increase in parallel with the increase in usage. To date, there has been very little research on factors that could protect against online risks. The current study aims to fill this knowledge gap by measuring online risk-taking and mindfulness levels in a sample of 574 middle school students in Ankara, Türkiye, using descriptive and correlational screening models to determine the relationship between mindfulness and online risk-taking among middle school-age children and how demographic and personal characteristics predict both variables. Data were collected using the "Online Risk-Taking Scale" to measure online risk-taking levels, the "Mindfulness Scale for Children and Adolescents" to measure mindfulness attitudes, and the "Demographic and Personal Information Questionnaire" to measure demographic and personal characteristics. The results indicate a significant negative correlation between mindfulness and online risk-taking; demographic and personal characteristics such as age, gender, academic achievement, and daily screen time significantly influence online risk-taking; age, gender, birth order, father's employment status, academic achievement, social relationships, and daily screen time significantly influence mindfulness. These findings emphasize the importance of mindfulness in online risk-taking, highlight the need for further research on this topic in this age group and on mechanisms to prevent children from engaging in risky behavior online; underscore the need for collaboration among all environmental systems in which children are embedded to keep them safe online; and stress the importance of developing educational programs and interventions to enhance children's mindfulness.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment April 11, 2011
- Research Review: The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 22, 2018
and 8 more in the library