The longitudinal association between parent-child technoference and Chinese adolescents’ problematic social media use: The mediating role of maladaptive cognition and gender differences

Parent-child technoference is a significant risk factor for problematic social media use (PSMU) among adolescents. However, the longitudinal association between parent-child technoference and PSMU and its mediating mechanisms remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study explored the longitudinal relationship between parent-child technoference and adolescents’ PSMU, investigated whether maladaptive cognition toward social media use (MCSMU) mediated this association, and examined whether these relationships differed by gender. A total of 766 Chinese adolescents completed self-report questionnaires at three time points assessing parent-child technoference, MCSMU, and PSMU. Cross-lagged panel models and multi-group analyses by gender were conducted. After controlling for age, family socioeconomic status, and duration of social media use at T1, higher parent-child technoference at T1 predicted higher levels of MCSMU and PSMU at T2. Moreover, higher MCSMU at T2 predicted higher PSMU at T3. MCSMU at T2 mediated the relationship between parent-child technoference at T1 and PSMU at T3, although this indirect effect reached only trend-level significance. Finally, the longitudinal mediating role of MCSMU was significant only in girls, whereas no significant effect was found in boys. This study advances the understanding of how parent-child technoference contributes to PSMU over time and highlights the potential mediating role of MCSMU, particularly among girls.