Less Parental Control Is Linked to Increasing Smartphone Addiction Risk in Young Children Over Time

Data from 313 participants indicate that parents' lack of control over smartphone use is associated with higher addiction tendencies in young children.

• Parents' higher smartphone addiction proneness is linked to an increased tendency for smartphone addiction in young children.
• Lack of parental control over children's smartphone usage negatively impacts children's smartphone addiction risk.
• The analysis utilized mixed effect models to assess changes in smartphone addiction tendencies over a four-year period.
• Findings suggest that early intervention by parents may be necessary to mitigate smartphone addiction in children.

Simplified