Parental Phubbing and Adolescent Smartphone Addiction: Depression and Perceived School Climate Matter

This study investigated the association between parental phubbing and adolescents' smartphone addiction, the mediating role of depression, and the moderating role of perceived school climate in the association. Seven hundred forty-two Chinese adolescents (Mage = 12.97, SD = 0.64, 45.55 percent female) were recruited and self-reported questionnaires were administered. Results indicated that parental phubbing was positively associated with adolescents' smartphone addiction. Depression partially mediated the above relation. Further, perceived school climate moderated the relation between parental phubbing and depression, such that the positive association between parental phubbing and depression was stronger among adolescents who perceived their school climate as more negative (vs. positive). The findings deepened our understanding of the relation between parenting behaviors and adolescents' smartphone addiction and implications for interventions and practices were discussed.