The association between young people’s problematic digital technology use and parents’ psychological distress: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Problematic digital technology use among young people can involve harm not only to themselves but also to their family members, particularly their parents, who may experience complex emotions. However, previous studies have focused on parents’ protective or risk factors for young people’s technology use. Evidence of the associations of problematic digital technology use with parents’ psychological distress as possible consequences remains limited. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies to synthesise the potential associations between these factors. Eligibility criteria included reports providing an association between problematic digital technology use and parents’ psychological distress. After searching four databases, 1,884 reports were screened. Forty-two reports met the eligibility criteria, and nine of these conceptualised problematic digital technology use as the exposure and parents’ distress as the outcome. The types of problematic digital technology use that we found were gaming, social media use, or other content-general use (e.g., internet, smartphone). However, no reports along these lines were found on online gambling, shopping or sexual activities. All reports were judged to be either at high or very high risk of bias mainly due to a lack of adjustment for confounders. The synthesised raw correlation coefficient was r = .29, 95% CI [.22, .35]. When semi-partial correlations were used to adjust covariates from thirty-two reports, the synthesised effect size was rsp = .12, 95% CI [.08, .17]. The prediction interval ranged between –.11 and .36, suggesting a considerable degree of heterogeneity. Reports from Asia tended to have stronger associations between the factors than did those from Europe. While the overall effect size was modest, certain types of problematic digital technology use in young people were found to burden the mental health of their parents. Suggestions for future research include employing longitudinal designs to further establish the directionality of the association and investigate the types of digital technology involved, especially those not yet addressed in the literature. As similar to substance use and gambling, providing support for parents, identified as affecting surrounding individuals, may be beneficial for their own wellbeing, as well as those engaging in the problematic digital technology use.