Digital Well-Being Pedagogy and Academic Performance in Marketing Education: The Importance of Attention Regulation and AI Dependency

As digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) become more deeply embedded in higher education, learners’ experiences have been reshaped and there are new problems with distraction, cognitive overload and technology dependency. The study investigated the mediating effect of attention regulation and the moderating effect of AI dependence on the relationship between digital well-being pedagogy and academic outcomes in Marketing education. The study proposes and tests a moderated mediation model based on Self-Regulation Theory, Attention Control Theory and Cognitive Load Theory to account for how students’ technology use mindfully and responsibly is linked to student success. Using a quantitative research design and structural equation modeling, data from 420 marketing students were analyzed. The findings reveal that digital well-being pedagogy positively influences academic performance both directly and indirectly through attention regulation. Attention regulation emerged as a significant mechanism through which digital well-being practices translate into improved academic outcomes. Furthermore, AI dependency strengthened the positive relationship between attention regulation and academic performance, indicating that AI technologies can enhance learning effectiveness when supported by strong attentional control. The study contributes to the literature on digital well-being and AI-enabled education by providing integrated framework on how pedagogical, cognitive, and technological factors jointly shape academic success.