Intersecting Contexts: The Roles of Internet‐Specific Parenting Practices, School Climate, and Gender in Adolescent Problematic Internet Use

To understand the mutual influences of family and school contexts on youth's at-risk online behaviors, this study investigated the concurrent and interactive influences of Internet-specific parenting practices and school climate perception on the problematic Internet use (PIU). A total of 988 Chinese middle school students (M_age = 12.86 years, 51% girls) completed measures of Internet-specific parenting practices (parental restrictive and active mediation), school climate, and PIU. The data analysis was conducted using multiple regression analysis and the moderating effect model in the PROCESS macro. Results indicated that parental active mediation was associated with lower levels of PIU among boys and girls, while parental restrictive mediation was associated with lower levels of PIU among girls. The interaction between school climate and parental active mediation was significantly associated with PIU only among boys. However, the interaction between school climate and parental restrictive mediation was not significantly associated with PIU among both boys and girls. These findings highlight the important roles of Internet-specific parenting practices, school climate, and gender in the development of PIU among early adolescents, suggesting that coordinated family-school efforts may be essential for effective prevention and intervention.