Beyond Screen Time: Parent–Adolescent Relationship as a Mediating Pathway Between Problematic Internet Use and Psychological Well-Being Among Malaysian Adolescents

Abstract

The construct of adolescent psychological well-being has long been a focus of both public discourse and scholarly inquiry. With the widespread adoption of the Internet, there have been growing concerns about adolescents’ exposure to escalating online risks. Parental mediation has been hypothesised to facilitate the guidance and regulation of adolescents’ Internet use. However, the specific mediating role of the parent–adolescent relationship in the association between problematic Internet use and psychological well-being has remained underexamined, a gap explored in the current study. Based on the theoretical underpinnings provided by Phase Three of Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Human Development, a cross-sectional survey using validated psychometric instruments was conducted, involving 1598 students (mean age 16.0 years; 51% female) from secondary schools in Selangor, Malaysia. For data analysis, inferential statistics and partial least squares–structural equation modelling (PLS–SEM) were used to examine the complex structural relationships among the variables. Mean scores for problematic Internet use and psychological well-being indicated moderate severity levels. SEM results indicated the negative influence of problematic Internet use on psychological well-being (β = −0.104 *, p = 0.040) and parent–adolescent relationship (β = −0.241 **, p < 0.001) and a significant positive influence of parent–adolescent relationship on psychological well-being (β = 0.328 **, p < 0.001). Subsequent mediation analysis confirmed the partial mediating effect of parent–adolescent relationship (indirect association: β = −0.079) on the relationship between problematic Internet use and psychological well-being among Malaysian adolescents. This was consistent with Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Human Development. Strengthening the parent–adolescent relationship could mitigate the adverse psychological effects of excessive Internet use. From a policy perspective, these findings supported the use of family-focused intervention as a strategy to address the adverse psychological effects of problematic Internet use among adolescents.