## 4 Discussion  
This study successfully achieved its objective of exploring young people's attitudes and behavioural motivations related to the use of AI technology for emotion regulation. Through qualitative interviews with 40 participants and grounded theory analysis, the research developed a theoretical model that explained the factors influencing young people's use or non-use of AI technology for emotion regulation. Specifically, the grounded theory model demonstrated causal conditions, external influences, intervention conditions and consequences of using or not using AI technology for emotion regulation. The model suggests that choice behaviours are influenced by factors in three primary contexts: personal, technological and environmental. Personal factors include attitudes, individual perceptions and trust in AI technology for emotion regulation. Technological factors include usefulness, perceived fun, privacy, high value and emotional processing. Environmental factors encompass social influence, environmental influence, convenience and information sources. The findings of this study aligned closely with constructs in established technology acceptance models. For example, participants' emphasis on usefulness and convenience mirrors the perceived usefulness and ease of use constructs in the technology acceptance model [78]. Similarly, the lack of trust and privacy factors, akin to facilitating conditions and perceivedrisk, are also considered in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology extensions [79]. These parallels suggest that the adoption of AI technology for emotion regulation amongst young people can be understood within these established theoretical frameworks. The theoretical contributions of this study to the related literature included (1) providing qualitative data on young people's behavioural choices in using AI technology for emotion regulation, (2) exploring young people's attitudes toward AI technology for emotion regulation, (3) clarifying the reasons for using or not using AI technology for emotion regulation and (4) building a theory based on the qualitative data explaining the degree of young people's acceptance of AI technology for emotion regulation. Practically, the findings offer important insights for designing and developing AI technology for emotion regulation. First, the practicality of AI technology should be improved, because young people expressed a desire to experience emotion regulation. Second, AI technology for emotion regulation conveys perceived fun [80]. The results showed that young people are willing to experience immersive and interesting AI technology. Third, privacy is a requirement for young people in AI technology, and young people indicated that they do not want their privacy to be disclosed after experiencing the products. Furthermore, it is important to consider inclusivity in the design of AI technology for emotion regulation. AI technology for emotion regulation should accommodate the diverse abilities, sensory profiles and interaction preferences of young people, including those with neurodevelopmental differences [81]. Addressing the accessibility and inclusivity of AI technology can help ensure that it provides meaningful support to a broad population of youth navigating emotional challenges. Lastly, dealing with emotions is a requirement of young people for the functionality of AI technology for emotion regulation, and dealing with their emotions through a real-life experience helps them to obtain relief and cathars. The study also highlighted the demand for accessible, high-quality emotional support services tailored to the preferences and expectations of young people. Despite its contributions, the study had several limitations. First, the interrelationships and relative weights amongst the identified categories remain underexplored. Second, the theoretical and practical significance of each factor has not been quantitatively validated.