Parental Mediation, Online Behaviour and Internet Addiction Risk in Children: A Qualitative Diary Study of Parental Perspectives

Internet addiction in children has been widely recognised as a substantial health and well‐being issue that needs further studies and interventions. Existing literature suggests that behaviours related to children’s internet use and parental mediation may influence their online risks. However, there is a lack of research exploring how those factors may be associated with internet addiction risk, particularly in the context of developing regions with a higher risk and prevalence. The present study aims to investigate parental perspectives on the meaningful characteristics of children’s online behaviour and parental mediation that may contribute to protecting children from internet addiction. We conducted qualitative descriptive research involving 22 parents of Indonesian primary school children with diverse internet addiction risk assessed using the Parent‐Child Internet Addiction Test (PCIAT). The data were collected using a 7‐day parental diary followed by a post‐diary interview and analysed using content analysis. This study found that children with a lower risk ( P C I A T ≤ 30) were more likely to have less mobile screen time, engage in positive online activities, show transparency about online activities, prioritise essential activities over internet use and show interests in various real‐world activities. Their parents were more likely to enforce strict screen time and content restrictions, provide adequate supervision, demonstrate consistent internet parenting, maintain open communication about internet use and show adequate awareness in educating and role‐modelling healthy internet use. Three domains of parental challenges were also identified: determining effective parental mediation strategies, maintaining positive attitudes in internet parenting and managing external influences. These findings suggest that families should improve children’s online behaviour to protect them from internet addiction, such as managing online activities, encouraging positive internet use, promoting transparency and balancing the day with various activities. Parents should also be supported in providing appropriate regulations, educating their children about healthy internet use and serving as role models.