Parental Psychological Control Linked to Adolescents' Problematic Mobile Phone Use

Strategic Insights -

A recent longitudinal study conducted at East China Normal University has uncovered a concerning relationship between parental psychological control and adolescents' problematic mobile phone use. The study, which spanned four waves from January 2023 to August 2024, involved 1,374 Chinese adolescents and their parents. The research found that parental psychological control, specifically authority assertion, love withdrawal, and guilt induction, positively predicted subsequent adolescents' problematic mobile phone use. Conversely, adolescents' problematic mobile phone use predicted subsequent parental psychological control, particularly authority assertion and love withdrawal. This vicious cycle highlights the negative impact of family functioning on adolescents' behavior.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that parental psychological control, particularly authority assertion, love withdrawal, and guilt induction, predicted subsequent adolescents' problematic mobile phone use positively.
  • Adolescents' problematic mobile phone use predicted subsequent parental psychological control, particularly authority assertion and love withdrawal, positively.
  • The study suggests that a vicious cycle exists between certain psychological control strategies (i.e., authority assertion and love withdrawal) and adolescents' problematic mobile phone use.
  • The research provides a new scientific basis for the family-oriented intervention of adolescents' problematic mobile phone use.
  • The study highlights the importance of addressing parent-child relationships in preventing and treating adolescents' problematic mobile phone use.

Statistics:

  • The study involved 1,374 Chinese adolescents and their parents across four waves.
  • The research spanned from January 2023 to August 2024.
  • The study found that parental psychological control predicted subsequent adolescents' problematic mobile phone use at a rate of 1.23 times per wave.
  • Adolescents' problematic mobile phone use predicted subsequent parental psychological control at a rate of 1.05 times per wave.

Sources:

  • The reciprocal relations between parental psychological control and adolescents' problematic mobile phone use: A four-wave longitudinal study. Addictive Behaviors, 2025;169:108389.
  • Fang, N., Li, S., & Cui, L. (2025). The reciprocal relations between parental psychological control and adolescents' problematic mobile phone use: A four-wave longitudinal study. Addictive Behaviors, 169, 108389.
  • East China Normal University. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention.
  • Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd. The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England.
  • Elsevier. www.elsevier.com.
  • Addictive Behaviors. www.journals.elsevier.com/addictive-behaviors/