The Latent Transition Analysis of Smartphone Dependency from Parents to Children

Abstract

This study aims to categorize the latent profiles of smartphone dependency among parents and children and to identify patterns of transition in smartphone dependency between them. The study used 3rd-year child-parent paired data on 2,229 parents and their 2,229 children who participated as 4th graders in the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel (KCYPS). This study focused on 6th-grade children at risk of smartphone dependency, a critical stage preceding the expansion of their social relationships. Main conclusions: First, the latent profile analysis of smartphone dependency for both parents and children identified three optimal profiles: ‘low-dependency type’, ‘average-type’, and ‘high-dependency type‘. Second, the latent profile characteristics of smartphone dependency between parents and children were found to be similar, with a high probability of children adopting the same type of smartphone dependency as their parents. This finding suggests that efforts to reduce children’s smartphone dependency should also address the reduction of smartphone usage among parents. Third, better parenting attitudes and more time spent with and talking to parents were associated with smartphone dependency in children. In contrast to the variable-centered approach, which focuses on individual factors causing children's smartphone dependency, this study used a person-centered approach to examine the dependency of parents and children on smartphones, considering the influence received from parents since an early age.