Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic review
Awareness regarding the problematic use of screen media by children has increased in recent years. The rate of technological addiction, referred to as “behavioral addiction” by the World Health Organization, is rising as well. This is a serious mental health concern, especially as it can have negati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Computers in Human Behavior Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958825000879 |
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| author | Esther Rincon Adriana Pineda-Rafols Moises Perez Julia San-Martin-Suarez Maria P. Egea-Romero |
| author_facet | Esther Rincon Adriana Pineda-Rafols Moises Perez Julia San-Martin-Suarez Maria P. Egea-Romero |
| author_sort | Esther Rincon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Awareness regarding the problematic use of screen media by children has increased in recent years. The rate of technological addiction, referred to as “behavioral addiction” by the World Health Organization, is rising as well. This is a serious mental health concern, especially as it can have negative consequences for children and adolescents, as well as their families. The main features, uses, and prevention strategies developed in parent training programs aimed at avoiding problematic or addictive use of technology in children have only been slightly addressed in the scientific literature. In all likelihood, this is probably the first systematic review to focus specifically on these areas. The purpose of this study is to review the scientific research published over the last decade in order to answer the following three questions: (1) Are parent training programs useful in reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children and adolescents? (2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of these programs? (3) Are the parents who participate in these programs satisfied with the results after attending the training? We systematically examined the peer-reviewed literature from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOS), Medline, and Scopus, adhering to the PRISMA statement. Only Journal articles published from 2013 to February 2024 and written in the English language were reviewed. A total of 250 studies were obtained, of which seven were finally selected. The results provide a complete overview of the most useful strategies for empowering parents with new skills, insights, and knowledge for the purpose of reducing problematic and addictive use of technology at home. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d5b879230d3b439dba8a3ff8df08f78c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2451-9588 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Computers in Human Behavior Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-d5b879230d3b439dba8a3ff8df08f78c2025-08-20T03:22:04ZengElsevierComputers in Human Behavior Reports2451-95882025-05-011810067210.1016/j.chbr.2025.100672Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic reviewEsther Rincon0Adriana Pineda-Rafols1Moises Perez2Julia San-Martin-Suarez3Maria P. Egea-Romero4Psycho-Technology Lab, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, Spain; Departamento de Psicología y Pedagogía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Estudios de Las Adicciones (IEA-CEU), Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, Spain; Psycho-Technology Lab, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, SpainPsycho-Technology Lab, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, Spain; Departamento de Psicología y Pedagogía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, SpainPsycho-Technology Lab, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, SpainPsycho-Technology Lab, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, SpainPsycho-Technology Lab, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, Spain; Departamento de Psicología y Pedagogía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28660 Boadilla Del Monte, SpainAwareness regarding the problematic use of screen media by children has increased in recent years. The rate of technological addiction, referred to as “behavioral addiction” by the World Health Organization, is rising as well. This is a serious mental health concern, especially as it can have negative consequences for children and adolescents, as well as their families. The main features, uses, and prevention strategies developed in parent training programs aimed at avoiding problematic or addictive use of technology in children have only been slightly addressed in the scientific literature. In all likelihood, this is probably the first systematic review to focus specifically on these areas. The purpose of this study is to review the scientific research published over the last decade in order to answer the following three questions: (1) Are parent training programs useful in reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children and adolescents? (2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of these programs? (3) Are the parents who participate in these programs satisfied with the results after attending the training? We systematically examined the peer-reviewed literature from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOS), Medline, and Scopus, adhering to the PRISMA statement. Only Journal articles published from 2013 to February 2024 and written in the English language were reviewed. A total of 250 studies were obtained, of which seven were finally selected. The results provide a complete overview of the most useful strategies for empowering parents with new skills, insights, and knowledge for the purpose of reducing problematic and addictive use of technology at home.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958825000879ParentingTechnology addictionBehavioral addictionsProblematic internet usePreventionTraining programs |
| spellingShingle | Esther Rincon Adriana Pineda-Rafols Moises Perez Julia San-Martin-Suarez Maria P. Egea-Romero Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic review Computers in Human Behavior Reports Parenting Technology addiction Behavioral addictions Problematic internet use Prevention Training programs |
| title | Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic review |
| title_full | Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic review |
| title_short | Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic review |
| title_sort | are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children a systematic review |
| topic | Parenting Technology addiction Behavioral addictions Problematic internet use Prevention Training programs |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958825000879 |
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