Constantly Connected: The Role of Parental Mediation Styles and Self-Regulation in Pre- and Early Adolescents’ Problematic Mobile Device Use

Abstract

Despite rising adoption rates of mobile devices, few studies have investigated the effectiveness of parental mediation in addressing children’s mobile media use. The current study aimed to fill this gap by examining parental mediation styles in relation to problematic smartphone and tablet use among pre- and early adolescents. Moreover, in line with self-determination theory, we expected autonomy-supportive mediation to increase children’s internalization of parental messages, resulting in elevated self-regulation. Results of two cross-sectional surveys showed that autonomy-supportive, restrictive mediation was directly, negatively related to problematic use. However, this relationship was not mediated through self-regulation. Conversely, controlling and inconsistent mediation styles were generally indirectly associated with more problematic use via emotional and behavioral self-regulation.