Does parental phubbing increase the risk of adolescent cyberbullying and cyber victimization? The role of social anxiety and self-control

Abstract

Cyberbullying and cyber victimization are widespread problems that impair the physical and mental health of adolescents. To date, the impact of parental phubbing on adolescent cyberbullying and cyber victimization remains underexplored. The current study investigates the relationships between parental phubbing and adolescent cyberbullying and cyber victimization and whether these influence mechanisms work consistently. We recruited 1034 Chinese adolescents aged 12–15 years as a sample and constructed two moderated mediation models to evaluate the relationships among parental phubbing, social anxiety, self-control, cyberbullying, and cyber victimization. The results showed that (1) parental phubbing positively predicted adolescent cyberbullying and cyber victimization; (2) parental phubbing was associated with cyberbullying and cyber victimization among adolescents through the mediating effect of social anxiety; (3) the relationships between parental phubbing and adolescent cyberbullying and cyber victimization and the mediating effects of social anxiety were moderated by self-control; specifically all effects were significant at low self-control and vice versa. The research findings are conducive to informing the risk factors and mechanisms of adolescent cyber violence and further reveal the negative influence of parental phubbing on adolescent development.