Associations Among Problematic Internet Usage in Adolescents, Parental Internet Factors, and Parent-Adolescent...

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychology
• Digital Media and Society
• Family Studies

Background:

• Problematic internet use (PIU) in adolescents negatively impacts social, physical, and functional well-being.
• The influence of parental PIU and parenting practices on adolescent PIU requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between adolescent PIU, parental PIU, and internet-specific parenting practices.
• To understand how parental internet use behaviors and parenting strategies influence adolescent problematic internet use.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional online survey involving 4558 adolescents (12-18 years) and 4568 parents.
• Utilized the Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale-3 (PRIUSS-3) and Internet-Specific Parenting Practices (ISPP) scales.
• Bivariate analyses assessed relationships between adolescent PIU, parent PIU, and ISPP (content, time, quality).

Main Results:

• High prevalence of PIU in both adolescents (69.9%) and parents (61.4%).
• Parents with PIU were significantly more likely to have adolescents with PIU (OR = 9.54).
• Lenient content and strict time parenting practices correlated with increased adolescent PIU; lower communication quality was observed with adolescent PIU.

Conclusions:

• Parental PIU is a significant risk factor for adolescent PIU.
• Effective prevention strategies may involve promoting positive parent-child relationships and shared healthy digital habits.
• Focusing on family-wide digital well-being and communication may be more beneficial than solely enforcing screen time limits.