Parents’ Perspectives on Their Relationship With Their Adolescent Children With Internet Addiction: Survey Study

Abstract

Background Parents of adolescents with internet addiction are confronted with their children’s internet problems on a daily basis. Parents may notice that adolescents with addiction may also have emotional and behavioral problems, including impulsivity and violence. Parenting styles have been found to be related to internet addiction. Objective The purpose of this study is to investigate parents’ perspectives on their parenting style, relationship with their child, and the degree of internet addiction and emotional and behavioral problems of their child. Methods A web survey was conducted with 600 parents of children between the ages of 12 and 17 years, from October 14 to 18, 2021, across Japan. Respondents were recruited by an internet research company and were asked to complete an anonymous online questionnaire. The survey was divided into two groups: 300 parents who answered “yes” to the question “Do you think your child is dependent on the internet?” and 300 parents who answered “no” to that question. Questionnaires were collected until each group had 300 participants. The questionnaire included (1) the Parent-Child Internet Addiction Test (PCIAT), (2) the daily time spent using the internet, (3) the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), (4) the Parenting Style and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ), and (5) the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) measuring self-report attachment style prototypes. Results Mean scores of the PCIAT and the daily time spent using the internet for the group with probable internet addiction were significantly higher than those of the group without probable internet addiction (50%; P<.001). The total difficulties score from the SDQ for the group with probable internet addiction (mean 10.87, SD 5.9) was significantly higher than that for the group without probable internet addiction (mean 8.23, SD 5.64; P<.001). The mean score for authoritarian parenting from the PSDQ for the group with probable internet addiction (mean 2.1, SD 0.58) was significantly higher than that for the group without probable internet addiction (mean 2.1, SD 0.58; P<.001). Regarding the RQ, there were no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusions Our findings suggest that parents who think their child is addicted to the internet may recognize emotional and behavioral problems of the child and have an authoritarian parenting style.