Associations between prior parental mediation and digital wellbeing among young adults: Incorporating both variable- and person-centered approaches

Amid pervasive digital connectivity, maintaining digital wellbeing is increasingly important for young people. Yet empirical research on the relationship between parental mediation and digital wellbeing remains limited. Incorporating both variable- and person-centered approaches, this study explores the associations between prior parental mediation, digital disconnection and digital wellbeing among young adults. Data were drawn from 994 Chinese first-year college students (aged between 15 to 22), a developmental stage marked by increasing autonomy over digital life. Variable-centered analyses indicated that only prior active mediation was significantly associated with digital wellbeing, with rule-based disconnection mediating this association. Latent profile analysis showed that most parents practiced different mediation strategies in a balanced way. Five distinct youth-perceived mediation patterns were identified: moderate-involved (37.12%), low-involved (31.79%), high-involved (16.00%), supportive (10.97%), and restriction-oriented (4.12%). Subsequent analysis showed that the high-involved and supportive mediation pattern was most favorable for digital wellbeing, while the low-involved