The problem of adolescent online gaming addiction is related to individual-level characteristics and the influence of the family environment. The present study explores the potential role of adolescents’ time management tendency in mediating the relationship between parenting style and adolescent internet gaming disorder (IGD). Responses from a total of 357 Chinese high school students were collected for a Pathological Video-Game Use Questionnaire, Simplified Parenting Styles Scale, and Time Management Tendency Scale. Overall, participants reported moderate use of online games (Mean = 1.41; SD = 0.41), lower than the median value of 2 on a three-point scale. In terms of the mediating role of adolescents’ time management tendency, full meditation was observed for the relationship between the parenting style factor of “parents’ emotional warmth” for both mothers and fathers and internet gaming disorder. The results highlight the benefits of emotional warmth in supporting self-efficacy, self-control, and autonomy through the promotion of time management, which is an important protective factor for IGD and can serve as a mediating personality variable. Although non-significant in the complete model, over-protection and rejection by parents should also be cautiously considered as potential risk factors related to addiction.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education, concerns have arisen regarding its potential impact on learners’ social development. This study investigates the relationship between AI learning dependence and interpersonal incompetence among EFL university students, with a particular focus on the moderating role of AI ethical awareness. A survey of 608 non-English major university students was conducted. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and structural equation modeling (SEM), the research identified factors contributing to AI dependence in EFL learning. Additionally, the impact of AI dependence on learners’ interpersonal incompetence was examined through Media Dependency Theory. The findings indicate that factors such as effort expectancy, performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence are positively associated with learners’ AI dependence. This dependence, in turn, is positively associated with greater interpersonal incompetence. Furthermore, AI ethical awareness moderates this relationship: the positive association between AI dependence and interpersonal incompetence is weaker among learners with higher ethical awareness. The study confirms the applicability of UTAUT in explaining AI learning dependence and highlights the importance of fostering ethical awareness to mitigate the potential social risks of AI in education. Practical suggestions are also provided to support the sustainable integration of AI in EFL education.