The mediating effect of parental monitoring in the association between parent-child relationship harmony and smartphone addiction: findings from a nationwide youth survey in China

BackgroundThe increasing prevalence of smartphone addiction among youth has raised concerns. Previous research has indicated that poor parent-child relationship can lead to youth smartphone addiction. However, parent-child relationship harmony involves multiple parties and is difficult to intervene in due to family authority and other factors. Focusing on the pathways between parent-child relationships harmony and smartphone addiction is crucial for preventing smartphone addiction. This study was conducted to examine the role of parental monitoring as a mediator and the role of self-control as a moderator in the association between the parent-child relationship harmony and smartphone addiction among Chinese youth.MethodsThe nationwide survey included 9,270 youth in the Chinese mainland. The data collected included individual characteristics, smartphone addiction status, parent-child relationship harmony, parental monitoring and self-control were collected. Sample weights were applied to ensure that the composition of our sample was consistent with the official statistics for each provincial-level administrative division on gender and school type. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the mediating effect of parental monitoring and the moderating effect of self-control in the association between the parent-child relationship harmony and smartphone addiction.ResultsAmong the 10,000 weighted participants, 5,166 (51.7%) were male, and 3,608 (36.0%) were aged 16 to 18 years. Parental monitoring mediated 48.14% (95% CI: 40.24 to 56.03) of the association between the parent-child relationship harmony and smartphone addiction. The partial mediating effect of parental monitoring was differed across gender and age groups, and there was no significant heterogeneity. Moreover, self-control negatively moderated the indirect effects of parental monitoring on smartphone addiction (beta = -0.12, 95% CI: -0.57 to -0.38), and the mediating effect of parental monitoring decreased as self-control increased.ConclusionOur study explored the association between parent-child relationship harmony and youth smartphone addiction, which appeared to be partially mediated by efficient parental monitoring. Self-control played a moderating role in the indirect pathway of the mediating effect.