The Relationship Between Parental Phubbing and Chinese Adolescents’ Mobile Phone Addiction: A Longitudinal Study

Adolescence is a period of high incidence of mobile phone addiction (MPA), which can lead to negative effects on adolescents’ physical and mental health. Previous studies have revealed that parental phubbing is the core factor triggering adolescents’ MPA, however, longitudinal investigations into the impact of parental phubbing on MPA are lacking, as are studies exploring protective elements that could mitigate this relationship. Anchored in Davis’ cognitive-behavioral model and ecological systems theory, this longitudinal research examined how core self-evaluation mediates the association between parental phubbing and MPA, and how peer relationships might moderate the impact of this connection. 807 Chinese adolescents (47.6% female, mean age of 12.04 years at the first assessment) participated in a three-wave study over twelve months. The results suggest that parental phubbing significantly predicts higher levels of adolescent MPA one year later, with this effect being strongly mediated by core self-evaluation. Peer relationships play a moderating role in both the direct effect (parental phubbing to MPA) and the first half of the mediation effect (parental phubbing to core self-evaluation). Specifically, compared to adolescents with good peer relationships, the impact of parental phubbing on MPA is more pronounced among those experiencing poor peer relationships. Meanwhile, adolescents with good peer relationships exhibit a relatively weaker adverse effect of parental phubbing on their core self-evaluation, compared to those with poor peer relationships. This study reveals the moderated mediation mechanisms underlying the effect of parental phubbing on adolescent MPA and provides detailed insights into the circumstances in which parental phubbing correlates with MPA. These results provide guidance for specific prevention and intervention approaches aimed at tackling adolescent MPA within the Chinese cultural framework.