The Relationship Between Parental Monitoring and Adolescent Smartphone Addiction: The Longitudinal Mediating Role of Parent-Child Attachment
Keywords:
parental monitoring, mobile phone addiction, parent-child attachment, high school students
Abstract
This study investigated the long-term effects of parental monitoring on mobile phone addiction among high school students and examined the longitudinal mediating role of parent-child attachment. A three-wave longitudinal study spanning 1.5 years was conducted using the Parental Monitoring Scale, Parent-Child Attachment Scale, and Mobile Phone Addiction Scale. Valid data were collected from 405 students (grades 10–11) at a Chongqing secondary school across three assessments. The results demonstrated that: 1) Parental monitoring significantly negatively predicted adolescents’ mobile phone addiction over time; 2) The mediating effect of parent-child attachment remained consistent across different time points, indicating stability in its intermediary role throughout the study period. These findings suggest that parental monitoring not only directly reduces mobile phone addiction but also exerts an indirect influence by enhancing parent-child attachment. The study highlights the enduring protective role of parental involvement and relational bonds in mitigating technology-related behavioral issues during adolescence.
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Wen, Z. L., Hou, J. T., & Zhang, L. (2005). A comparison and application of moderating and mediating effects. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 2, 268–274.
Zhang, Y., Ding, Q., & Wang, Z. (2021). Why parental phubbing is at risk for adolescent mobile phone addiction: A serial mediating model. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105873
Cappuccio, F. P., Taggart, F. M., Kandala, N.-B., Currie, A., Peile, E., Stranges, S., & Miller, M. A. (2008). Meta-analysis of short sleep duration and obesity in children and adults. Sleep, 31(5), 619–626. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/31.5.619
Chen, W., Zhang, D., Liu, J., Pan, Y., & Sang, B. (2019). Parental attachment and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents: The mediation effect of emotion regulation. Australian Journal of Psychology, 71(3), 241–248. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12239
China Internet Network Information Center. (2025, February 28). The 55th statistical report on the development of China's Internet [EB/OL].
Clark, L. S. (2011). Parental mediation theory for the digital age. Communication Theory, 21(4), 323–343. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2011.01391.x
Ding, Q., Zhang, Y. X., & Zhou, Z. K. (2019). The relationship between parental phubbing and smartphone addiction among middle school students: The moderating role of parental monitoring. Chinese Journal of Special Education, (1), 66–71.
Dwyer, K. M. (2005). The meaning and measurement of attachment in middle and late childhood. Human Development, 48(3), 155–182. https://doi.org/10.1159/000085519
Elhai, J. D., Levine, J. C., & Hall, B. J. (2019). The relationship between anxiety symptom severity and problematic smartphone use: A review of the literature and conceptual frameworks. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 62, 45–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.11.005
Farchakh, Y., Hallit, R., Akel, M., Chalhoub, C., Hachem, M., Hallit, S., & Obeid, S. (2021). Nomophobia in Lebanon: Scale validation and association with psychological aspects. PLOS ONE, 16(4), e0249890. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249890
Hefner, D., Knop, K., Schmitt, S., & Vorderer, P. (2019). Rules? Role model? Relationship? The impact of parents on their children’s problematic mobile phone involvement. Media Psychology, 22(1), 82–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2018.1433544
Horwood, S., & Anglim, J. (2019). Problematic smartphone usage and subjective and psychological well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 97, 44–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.02.028
Jiang, X. Y., Lin, Y., & Liu, Q. X. (2022). The relationship between parental psychological control and adolescent smartphone addiction: The role of psychological needs network satisfaction and environmental sensitivity. Psychological Development and Education, 38(2), 254–262.
Kara, M., Baytemir, K., & Inceman-Kara, F. (2021). Duration of daily smartphone usage as an antecedent of nomophobia: Exploring multiple mediation of loneliness and anxiety. Behaviour & Information Technology, 40(1), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2019.1673485
Kim, Y.-J., Jang, H. M., Lee, Y., Lee, D., & Kim, D.-J. (2018). Effects of internet and smartphone addictions on depression and anxiety based on propensity score matching analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(5), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15050859
Kwon, M., Kim, D.-J., Cho, H., & Yang, S. (2013). The smartphone addiction scale: Development and validation of a short version for adolescents. PLOS ONE, 8(12), e83558. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0083558
Li, X., Fu, S., Fu, Q., & Zhong, B. (2021). Youths’ habitual use of smartphones alters sleep quality and memory: Insights from a national sample of Chinese students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052254
Lin, L., Wang, X., Li, Q., Xia, B., Chen, P., & Wang, W. (2021). The influence of interpersonal sensitivity on smartphone addiction: A moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.670223
Liu, Y., Fei, L., Sun, X., Wei, C., Luo, F., Li, Z., Shen, L., Xue, G., & Lin, X. (2018). Parental rearing behaviors and adolescent’s social trust: Roles of adolescent self-esteem and class justice climate. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(5), 1415–1427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-1010-3
McDaniel, B. T., & Radesky, J. S. (2018). Technoference: Parent distraction with technology and associations with child behavior problems. Child Development, 89(1), 100–109. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12822
Seo, D. G., Park, Y., Kim, M. K., & Park, J. (2016). Mobile phone dependency and its impacts on adolescents’ social and academic behaviors. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 282–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.026
Shek, D. T. L. (2005). Perceived parental control and parent–child relational qualities in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Sex Roles, 53(9), 635–646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-7730-7
Tettamanti, G., Auvinen, A., Åkerstedt, T., Kojo, K., Ahlbom, A., Heinävaara, S., Elliott, P., Schüz, J., Deltour, I., Kromhout, H., Toledano, M. B., Poulsen, A. H., Johansen, C., Vermeulen, R., Feychting, M., & Hillert, L. (2020). Long-term effect of mobile phone use on sleep quality: Results from the cohort study of mobile phone use and health (COSMOS). Environment International, 140, 105687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105687
van den Eijnden, R. J. J. M., Spijkerman, R., Vermulst, A. A., van Rooij, T. J., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2010). Compulsive internet use among adolescents: Bidirectional parent–child relationships. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38(1), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9347-8
Vannucci, A., Simpson, E. G., Gagnon, S., & Ohannessian, C. M. (2020). Social media use and risky behaviors in adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 79, 258–274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.01.014
Wen, Z. L., Hou, J. T., & Zhang, L. (2005). A comparison and application of moderating and mediating effects. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 2, 268–274.
Zhang, Y., Ding, Q., & Wang, Z. (2021). Why parental phubbing is at risk for adolescent mobile phone addiction: A serial mediating model. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105873
Published
2025-03-01
How to Cite
Long, X., & Qin, W. (2025, March 1). The Relationship Between Parental Monitoring and Adolescent Smartphone Addiction: The Longitudinal Mediating Role of Parent-Child Attachment. Humanities and Social Science Research, 8(1), p117. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.30560/hssr.v8n1p117
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