The relationship between problematic media use and parent-child relationship in children

The diversity in the usage areas of digital tools has led to the expansion of the user population across all age groups. Media use that begins at an early age and exhibits continuity has become a determining factor in child development and parent-child relationships. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the relationship between problematic media use and parent-child relationship in children. The sample of the study, which was designed using a correlational survey model, consisted of 783 parents of children attending preschool education. Mothers constituted 80.1% of the participants. According to the results of hierarchical regression analysis, problematic media use explained 10.8% of the variance in the parent-child relationship when control variables were held constant. Additionally, variables such as parental education level, internet usage duration, digital device ownership, and the number of children in the family were found to be associated with parent-child relationship and problematic media use. The findings indicated that as parental education level increased, problematic media use decreased and the parent-child relationship strengthened. In contrast, it was noteworthy that as the internet usage duration of both parents and children increased, the parent-child relationship weakened. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that digital screen time at home be limited, children's unsupervised device use be monitored, and joint social activities that enhance parent-child interaction be planned instead of digital activities to protect and strengthen family bonds.