## 3 Results
### Reasons for Not Using AI Technology for Emotion Regulation  
This study explored the reasons why young people choose not to use AI technology for emotion regulation. Based on the thematic analysis of the interview data, the reasons for non-use were categorised into functional barriers (55.94%), dispositional barriers (41.96%) and environmental barriers (2.1%). Functional barriers were the most frequently cited reason. The most prominent concern was the low value, which accounted for 51.7% of the responses. Participants indicated that, if the emotional benefits of AI technology did not justify the time, effort or financial cost, they were unlikely to use it, consistent with [PERSON] et al. [59]. Similarly, uselessness accounted for 27.50%. Young people reported that, if AI technology fails to deliver effective emotional support strategies, it becomes worthless and irrelevant to their needs. In addition, young people expressed concerns regarding the lack of trust in AI technology, inadequate functionality, insufficient emotional understanding and low accuracy in emotion recognition. One participant stated \"I feel AI cannot really understand what I'm going through emotionally. It just gives generic advice that doesn't help me much.\" Another commented \"I don't feel safe sharing personal thoughts with an AI. Whatif the data leaks?\" These reflections were coded as \"emotions hard to understand\" and \"lack of trust\", which, through axial coding, were integrated into the category \"functional barriers\". Specifically, young people expect AI technology to detect their emotional states accurately and to respond empathetically and effectively regulate those emotions. If the recognition mechanisms were flawed, young people felt that the core function of emotion regulation could not be realised, thus undermining the purpose of using AI technology. Dispositional barriers were also significant. These included inconvenience in usage (36.67%), high learning costs (33.33%) and uninspiring or unengaging service content (30.00%). Respondents strongly preferred AI technology that is easy to learn and quick to implement, especially given the time-sensitive nature of emotional crises [60]. Respondents also emphasised the need for engaging, novel experiences, such as virtual reality, gamified interaction or personalised visual feedback. For instance, [PERSON] [61] demonstrated that immersive VR environments can enhance emotion regulation and build user trust in the technology. Environmental barriers (2.1%) were associated with factors beyond the user's immediate control and, though less frequently reported, also affected user behaviour. One participant noted \"I don't know where to find reliable apps for this. It's not something people talk about.\" Another echoed this concern: \"I am unaware of available AI technology for emotion regulation due to a lack of a platform or channel in my surroundings.\" These responses were coded as \"lack of access to information\" and \"no professional platform or channel\" and were integrated into the broader category of \"environmental barriers\" in the model. In the absence of relevant AI products, they tended to default to more accessible and familiar strategies, such as listening to music, reading, chatting with friends or browsing short videos via mobile apps [62]. Furthermore, the lack of information about AI technology for emotion regulation also limited young people's engagement, with some participants stating they had never heard of AI technology for emotion regulation, indicating insufficient public exposure and awareness. In addition to the above barriers, participants' self-perceptions and social concerns also influenced their behaviour. Some respondents felt emotionally disconnected from such technologies, perceiving themselves as incompatible with AI-based emotion regulation technology [63]. Others expressed fear of social stigma, suggesting that the use of such technology may be misinterpreted as a sign of psychological problems [64].