Effect of Children’s Smartphone Overdependence on Problem Behaviors: The Mediating Effect of Ego-Resiliency and the Moderating Effect of Parental Monitoring

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between children’s smartphone overdependence and problem behaviors and tested the mediating effect of ego-resiliency and the moderating effect of parental monitoring. Data from 896 children in the 2025 Panel Study on Korean Children were analyzed using SPSS 29, AMOS 29, and PROCESS Macro 4.3. The results showed that smartphone overdependence was significantly and positively associated with problem behaviors and significantly and negatively associated with ego-resiliency. However, neither the direct effect of ego-resiliency on problem behaviors nor its mediating effect in the relationship between smartphone overdependence and problem behaviors was statistically significant. In contrast, parental monitoring significantly moderated the relationship between smartphone overdependence and problem behaviors. Specifically, the conditional effect of smartphone overdependence on problem behaviors was significant at low and average levels of parental monitoring, but was not statistically significant at a high level of parental monitoring. These findings suggest that the relationship between smartphone overdependence and problem behaviors may not be sufficiently explained by ego-resiliency alone, while parental monitoring may function as a family environmental condition that buffers this relationship. Therefore, efforts to prevent children’s problem behaviors should consider not only the regulation of smartphone use but also family-level support, including parental attention, guidance, and appropriate monitoring.