“I Do Not See Eye to Eye With My Parents”

Parent–Adolescent Discrepancies in Parental Phubbing Report and Adolescent Health‐Related Outcomes

Bibliographic Data

ID23039773
AuthorsTommaso Galeotti (0000-0002-1442-3747, University of Padua, corresponding author), Ina M Koning (0000-0003-0305-0487, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Regina J J M Van Den Eijnden (0000-0002-5353-8440, Utrecht University), Natale Canale (0000-0002-6032-0490, University of Padua), Claudia Marino (0000-0002-1127-3907, University of Padua), Alessio Vieno (0000-0003-4417-4822, University of Padua)
EditorsHua Pang (0000-0001-6490-9035)
Year2026
Volume2026
Issue1
Publication date2026-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Behavior and Emerging Technologies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2578-1863 • E-ISSN: 2578-1863
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1155/hbe2/2677322
OpenAlexW7162666012
LanguageEN
References cited71

Parental phubbing, the act of parents moving their attention to their smartphone instead of engaging with their children, has been associated with negative consequences for adolescents′ health. However, most studies rely on single informant reports, which do not account for both parents and adolescents′ perceptions of the behavior and can provide biased results. Based on the Operations Triad Model, this cross‐sectional study examines the association between parent–adolescent discrepancies in parental phubbing and adolescents′ life satisfaction and problematic smartphone use (PSU), mediated by parent‐adolescent connection and controlling for parental PSU. A convenience sample of 372 Italian adolescents (49.2% girls, M age = 11.9 ± 0.85) and their parents (83.6% mothers, M age = 45.3 ± 5.19) completed two separate online surveys. Data were analyzed using a latent difference score model. Findings show that parents and adolescents perceive parental phubbing in different ways, with parents reporting higher levels than adolescents. Furthermore, parent–adolescent discrepancies showed distinct association patterns with the study variables. Specifically, adolescents overreporting of their parents′ phubbing was directly and positively associated with parent‐adolescent connection and adolescents’ life satisfaction, but not with adolescent PSU, whereas adolescents underreporting showed the opposite pattern of association. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of adopting multiple information sources when studying family relationships and provide useful insights for practitioners and researchers.

Association (psychology) · Life satisfaction · Perception · Sample (material) · Young adult · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Child Development and Digital Technology · Impact of Technology on Adolescents

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