Parental Phubbing And Adolescent Loneliness: A Study Of Digital Neglect In Families

The use of mobile phones by parents is believed to be a factor that can trigger family distance and adolescent psychological issues. The phenomenon of parental phubbing has emerged, a form of neglect involving the use of mobile phones during parenting, which is believed to impact various psychological aspects, including feelings of loneliness. This study aims to determine the extent of the influence of parental phubbing on adolescent loneliness using a quantitative research design with a regression model. The study participants consisted of 168 adolescents in Malang City who live with their parents and are aged between 12 and 21 years. The measurement of the parental phubbing variable employed a phubbing scale modified from the Generic Scale of Being Phubbed (GSBP), while the loneliness measurement utilized a modified scale from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale, Version 3. The modified scale’s validity was assessed through content validity using Aiken’s V and readability tests, construct validity with factor analysis, and reliability testing by calculating the alpha (α) coefficient. The results of the regression analysis showed that parental phone neglect influenced adolescent loneliness (F = .837, p = .742; β = .130, p = .007; R2 = .04). This study found that mobile phone usage has an impact on child psychology. Parents are advised to pay attention to mobile phone usage during family interactions.