Adolescents, Disinformation, and AI Profiling: A Forensic Cyberpsychology Approach to Mitigating National Security Risks

A bstract Adolescents are increasingly immersed in AI-curated digital environments that amplify disinformation, heightening susceptibility to psychological manipulation with profound implications for mental health and national security. This perspective paper examines how forensic cyberpsychology and AI profiling can be applied ethically to identify adolescents at risk of engaging with disinformation. Drawing on a thematic synthesis of recent studies, the paper identifies vulnerability markers, including validation-seeking, peer conformity, and identity confusion, and explains how these are reinforced through algorithmic amplification. A conceptual framework is proposed to guide the ethical use of forensic AI profiling and targeted interventions. By reframing adolescent disinformation susceptibility as both a developmental and algorithmic risk, this paper emphasizes the need to integrate ethical AI, media literacy, and national security perspectives into a unified prevention strategy.