Does Gen Z's emotional intelligence promote iCheating (cheating with iPhone) yet curb iCheating through reduced nomophobia ?

Due to the popularity of smartphone (mobile phone) technology and new consumer products, parents, teachers, and researchers have grave concerns over adolescents' iPhone overuse and many iDisorders, including the decrease of self-esteem and social interactions and the increase of depression, sleep disturbances, nomophobia, and iCheating—academic cheating using iPhone. Little research has addressed these issues. Although emotional intelligence can help individuals achieve success in interpersonal relationships and performance, we ask two provocative questions: Does Generation Z (Gen Z) adolescents' emotional intelligence (EI) provoke iCheating? Can emotional intelligence curb nomophobia and thereby mitigate academic iCheating? We propose a formative SEM theoretical model, empirically test the relationships between emotional intelligence and iCheating, treat nomophobia as a mediator, and simultaneously investigate both direct and indirect paths. Data collected from 472 teenagers in three middle schools (grades 10–12, average age = 16.21) of an urban region in northern France reveal two innovative findings. Emotional intelligence (framed in the context of positive self-esteem)—directly fosters iCheating (the dark side). However, EI powerfully reduces nomophobia, the mediator—framed in the context of sleep disturbances, and indirectly curbs iCheating (the bright side). The combination of the dark and bright sides of emotional intelligence leads to a slight overall increase of iCheating. Emotional intelligence has its limits. Business executives, policy makers, and parents may identify strategies to promote the bright side and reduce the dark side of emotional intelligence, help Gen Z teenagers avoid nomophobia and reduce unethical behaviors/dishonesty—iCheating.