Mom, dad, you make me feel like I don’t matter! Parental phubbing and smartphone addiction

The role of anti-mattering

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21452182
AutoresAlexandra Cobzeanu (Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, autor de correspondencia), Gabriela-Elena Adafini (Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași)
Año2026
Páginas1-14
Fecha de publicación2026-04-21
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaBehaviour and Information Technology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0144-929X • E-ISSN: 1362-3001
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0144929x.2026.2662411
OpenAlexW7155070508
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas75

Problematic smartphone use among adolescents has become a global issue. Phubbing (i.e. using or being distracted by a mobile phone while in the presence of others) is a prevalent and worrying phenomenon in family life. Using an approach based on the Compensatory Internet Use Theory, this research examined the links between parental phubbing and adolescents’ smartphone addiction symptoms and the potential mediating role of anti-mattering. The convenience sample comprised 159 Romanian participants aged 13–18 (M = 16.55; SD = 1.26; 28.5% male). Results suggested that adolescents reported similar levels of phubbing when referring to either their mothers or fathers, with no significant differences. Parental phubbing positively predicted the adolescents’ feeling of not mattering. Further, anti-mattering positively predicted adolescents’ smartphone addiction, mediating the relation between parental phubbing and smartphone addiction symptoms. These results are discussed in terms of their practical implications for parent–adolescent relationships and prevention and intervention programs related to smartphone addictions

Affect (linguistics) · Agency (philosophy) · Perception · Perspective (graphical) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child Development and Digital Technology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents