The effect of parental "phubbing" on Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU) among adolescents

“Phubbing” is a social phenomenon that has been defined as a type of social exclusion and interpersonal neglect, where an individual pays attention to their mobile phone essentially ignoring their social environment. The present dissertation examines work on the effect of parental phubbing on adolescents’ Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU). Several studies have shown PMPU to negatively impact the individual’s physical and psychological functioning; this dissertation further provides an account of the effect of this type of mobile phone use on the physical and mental well-being of adolescents. Moreover, it explores the possible mediating and moderating variables linking parental phubbing and PMPU, including parent-child relationships, self-control and self-esteem. Due to the relative novelty of the phenomenon and the paucity of empirical data regarding its impact, this is a topic that would benefit from further research. Highlighting the effects of parental phubbing on their children’s behavior with regard to mobile phone use and the mechanisms of such an influence has the potential to contribute to developing targeted interventions to prevent and/or reduce PMPU symptoms.