Online Academic Cheating in Young Children and its Prevention

Abstract The global social situation changed dramatically after the COVID-19 pandemic, with various activities being shifted online. Some academic activities, including those for young children, are still conducted virtually. The transition introduced various challenges regarding academic honestly. However, whether young children engage in more academic cheating in online (vs. offline) settings remains unclear. Accordingly, this study examines this aspect, as well as how such behavior can be mitigated. We conducted two experimental studies with five-year-olds (N = 148), using a between-subjects design to examine children’s newly developed visual perspective-taking of proctors and their cheating behavior across offline, online, and two intervention conditions. In Study 1 (n = 74), we used the cost-benefit framework to investigate whether children would cheat more in online settings where proctors’ visual access is limited and the perceived costs of detection are consequently reduced. The visual perspective-taking task confirmed that most children recognized the limitations of online proctoring and were more likely to cheat online than offline. In Study 2 (n = 74), we used the Objective Self-Awareness theory to investigate whether real-time self-images would enhance self-awareness and reduce cheating compared to an avatar condition in which a human-like character tracked participants’ movements with a 2-second delay. Real-time self-images significantly reduced cheating in planned comparisons with both the online condition in Study 1 and an avatar control condition, though the omnibus test was marginally significant. Thus, young children are more likely to cheat online, where monitoring is limited, and fostering self-focused visual attention can reduce such dishonest behavior. These findings highlight the developmental foundations of online academic cheating and offer actionable strategies for improving young children’s online learning environments.