The effects of parental control and warmth on problematic internet use in adolescents: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Background and aimsProblematic internet use (PIU) is a highly prevalent condition with severe adverse effects. The literature suggests that parent-child bonding and parental behavioral control exert protective effects against PIU. However, the most relevant studies rely on simplistic measurement of parenting, cross-sectional designs and mixed-aged samples. Our study analyzed the effect of maternal and paternal parenting on PIU by using a prospective design and a cohort sample of same-aged children.MethodsData from 1,019 Czech 12-year-old sixth-graders who were followed until ninth grade were used. Maternal and paternal responsiveness and strictness were reported by children using the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) and the Parental Control Scale (PCS). PIU was measured by the Excessive Internet Use Scale (EIUS).ResultsThe self-reported PIU prevalence in nine-graders (15-year-old) was 8.1%. Parenting, reported by adolescents 18 months before PIU screening, showed significant relationships with PIU: parental responsiveness was negatively and moderately associated, while maternal strictness showed a weak positive association; the authoritative parenting style in both parents decreased PIU, with a PIU probability of 3.21%, while a combination of maternal authoritarian and paternal neglectful parenting was associated with PIU probability as high as 20.9%.Discussion and conclusionsThe self-reported prevalence of PIU in Czech adolescents was found to be high. The effects of parenting on PIU were similar to the effects of parenting on other problematic behavior among adolescents. Our findings showed the need for interventions to prevent PIU by helping parents to apply optimal parenting styles.

Work–Family Conflict on Children’s Internet Addiction: Role of Parenting Styles in Korean Working Mother

“…In this context, many studies have reported the associations of low-quality parent–child relationships with children’s PIU [ 39 ]. In the parent–child relationship, children are prone to be more affected by parental warmth and responsiveness than adolescents [ 40 ]. Moreover, a mother’s parenting style influences the development and behaviors of a child more than fathers.…”

School-Based Prevention of Screen-Related Risk Behaviors during the Long-Term Distant Schooling Caused by COVID-19 Outbreak

“…There is an ongoing debate as to the potential negative effects (e.g., sexual functioning problems) of pornography use in adults [10,18]. Although current studies suggested that a problematic use of pornography (PPU) develops in "only" up to 6% of pornography users, the lower age of users has been identified as a risk factor for PPU [11,12,19,20]. Moreover, it has been shown that the use of pornography influences both sexual attitudes and practices of adolescents [13,21].…”

“…In primary schools, only 3.4% of schools reported some cases; in older students, the problems were observed by 8.8%, respectively, 9.3% of SPS. Such low numbers did not correspond with the prevalence of screen-related pathological behaviors (e.g., problematic internet use, internet gaming disorder, cyber-bullying) in children and adolescents as estimated by studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] or before [15][16][17][18][19][20][22][23][24][25][26][27]. This suggests that the ability of schools to detect problems is limited, at least in the situation of distant schooling.…”

“…Both problematic (addiction-like) use of screens and at-risk use of screens, such as cyber-bullying and pornography use, have been reported to have negative impacts on users [9][10][11][12][13][14]. These screen related problems were present in children even before the COVID-19 pandemic [15][16][17][18][19][20]. Therefore, the prevention of screen addictions and online risks is increasingly important.…”

Measuring Parental Behavior towards Children’s Use of Media and Screen-Devices: The Development and Psychometrical Properties of a Media Parenting Scale for Parents of School-Aged Children

“…Parental regulation of children use of media is very important given the fact that the new modern online media and online communication are nearly impossible to control by governments or by standard regulatory mechanisms [7]. Parenting in general, as a sum of practices and parental behavior toward a child, has been confirmed to affect many forms of adolescent risk or harmful behaviors (e.g., substance use, risky sexual behaviors, delinquency [8]), and also problematic internet use [9,10]. However, current evidence indicates that parenting strategies focused on media regulation (media parenting) are not very effective in preventing risky or problematic behaviors related to the use of media/screen-devices in children and adolescents [11][12][13].…”