ABSTRACT
In the theoretical-empirical study, we focus on the phenomenon of school-age children consuming content that is both scary and fascinating. The theoretical part aims to identify and analyse factors supporting the persistence in consuming scary-fascinating content mediated by online digital devices in school-age children. The empirical part aims to determine the frequency of repeated consumption of scary-fascinating content mediated by online digital devices in younger school-age children. In the pilot phase of the research, we found that the consumption of scary-fascinating content in school-age children represents a complex process that is supported by a combination of neurobiological, psychological and environmental factors. Based on a questionnaire with (N=95) respondents aged (AM=9.95 years), we found that younger schoolage students view scary content online and persist in viewing it despite feeling fear. In the discussion, we explore the potential risks and negative impacts of fictitious safety threats and provide recommendations for parents and educators in the area of primary prevention.
KEY WORDS
Fear. Reward System. Scary-Fascinating Content. School-Age Children.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.34135/mlar-25-02-12
Persistence in Consuming Frightening and Fascination-Inducing Content via Online Digital Devices amongSchool-Age Children © 2025 by Annamária Šimšíková, UCM Trnava is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.