Perceived Parenting Styles as Predictors of Internet Addiction: A Systematic Review

The gradual development of technology has led to large-scale internet addiction globally, especially among children and adolescents. In this context, investigation of the relationship between perceived parenting styles and internet addiction in children and adolescents is relatively innovative. This is because of the diversity in outcomes for various perceived parenting styles and their influence on psychological, physiological, and social aspects of development. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify the various perceived parental styles and establish the association between perceived parental styles and risks of IA by providing recommendations for future research and interventions. This study conducted a systematic literature review following the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). A total of 120 articles were selected out of which 20 were found eligible for this review.
The results revealed that perceived parenting styles exerts a significant and differential influence on IA risk in children and adolescents. Authoritative parenting consistently emerges as protective, while non-authoritative styles confer varying degrees of risk. Findings carry implications for parental education programmes and IA prevention strategies. Therefore, this study offers epidemiological evidence to prove that parental style has a significant impact on the prediction of internet addiction in children and adolescents.

perceived parenting styles; internet addiction; children

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