The Effects of Parenting Styles on the Developmental Trajectory of Smartphone Overdependence Among Adolescents

Background and Purpose: Adolescence is characterized by elevated vulnerability to behavioral health issues, such as smartphone overdependence. However, the longitudinal impact of parenting styles on these trajectories remains insufficiently understood. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study investigates the longitudinal influence of parenting style profiles on the developmental trajectories of smartphone overdependence among children and adolescents. The objective is to provide social work interventions and policy guidelines for the prevention and management of smartphone overdependence.

Methods: Data were derived from the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS 2018), utilizing a nationally representative sample of 1,579 elementary school students followed over a seven-year period (2018–2024). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was employed to categorize parenting styles, while Piecewise Growth Mixture Modeling (PGMM) was applied to identify longitudinal trajectories of smartphone overdependence. The association between parenting profiles and trajectories was estimated using the 3-step approach, adjusting for sex, city size, subjective health status, and self-esteem.

Results: First, three distinct trajectories of smartphone overdependence were identified: the Normal Group (13.7%), the Chronic High-Risk Group (28.7%), and the Moderate-Continuous Increase Group (57.6%). Second, parenting styles were classified into three profiles: Democratic and supportive type (63.8%), General type (31.7%), and Control and Inconsistent type (4.5%). Third, relative to the Democratic type, adolescents with General parents were significantly more likely to belong to the Chronic High-Risk Group rather than the Normal Group (b = 0.738, p < .001). Similarly, adolescents with Control and Inconsistent parents showed a markedly higher probability of belonging to the Chronic High-Risk Group (b = 1.255, p < .01).

Conclusions and Implications: These findings carry important implications for social work practice and prevention policies. First, there is a necessity to prioritize parental education; aligning with SDT, interventions should focus on how parents can fulfill adolescent’s basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—to foster healthy behavioral outcomes. Interventions should empower parents to guide children in establishing regular and healthy smartphone habits while providing consistent monitoring and emotional support. Second, mental health services must be customized based on parental profiles: parents with inconsistent or controlling styles require training on emotional support and rule consistency, while those in the general styles need to be sensitized to long-term monitoring and early intervention. Finally, family therapy programs should be implemented to cultivate supportive parenting attitudes, empowering parents to function as a critical protective factor against smartphone overdependence.