Parent–child communication and adolescent problematic internet use: A cross-sectional dyadic study of protective effects and the primacy of adolescents' own perceptions

Abstract

Background Adolescent problematic internet use (PIU) has been linked to family processes, including intergenerational patterns. Although parent–child communication is often considered protective, whether it buffers intergenerational risk or functions independently remains unclear. Methods In this cross-sectional dyadic study, 824 Japanese high school students (aged 15–20, M = 16.7, SD = 0.8) and their biological parents completed parallel online questionnaires assessing PIU and communication via a commercial research panel (Macromill). Hierarchical regressions examined direct, moderating, and discrepancy effects, controlling for parent demographics. Results Parental PIU was positively associated with adolescent PIU (β = 0.53, p < .001). Higher mean-level communication—the average of parent and adolescent reports—was associated with lower adolescent PIU (parental acceptance: β = −0.08, p < .05; low perceived barriers to consultation: β = −0.13, p < .001), but did not moderate the parent–adolescent PIU association (both p > .20). Adolescents' own reports of low perceived barriers to consultation (β = −0.51) were far more strongly associated with adolescent PIU than parents' reports (β = 0.10, ns); response surface analysis indicated asymmetric informant weighting (a3 = 0.61, p < .001) rather than a non-linear discrepancy effect (a4 = −0.01, ns). Discrepancies in parental acceptance were unrelated to adolescent PIU. Findings were unchanged after controlling for parent sex and age. Conclusions Parent–child communication is an independent protective factor rather than a buffering mechanism. Adolescents' own perceptions of help-seeking barriers, more than discrepancies per se, were associated with risk, meriting attention in future research pending longitudinal, multi-method replication.