Parent-adolescent relationship quality and smartphone addiction: a hierarchical analysis of relational and demographic predictors

Background Adolescents’ smartphone use has increased substantially, raising concerns about problematic use and its public health implications. Although parent–child relationship quality plays an important role in adolescents’ behavioral regulation, the distinct contributions of parental support and alienation to smartphone addiction remain insufficiently clarified. Objective This study examined whether maternal and paternal support and alienation were associated with adolescent smartphone addiction after accounting for demographic characteristics and smartphone use duration. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 adolescents (aged 11–16 years) from government and government-aided schools in Chennai, India. Participants completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version–Tamil (SAS-SV-T) and the mother and father forms of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical multiple regression analyses (maternal and paternal models), and binary logistic regression were performed using SPSS 25.0. Results Male gender and longer duration of smartphone use were consistently associated with higher smartphone addiction severity and risk. In hierarchical models, relational variables explained additional variance beyond demographic factors. Paternal alienation emerged as a significant positive predictor of addiction severity, whereas maternal support demonstrated a modest protective association. Family structure did not independently predict smartphone addiction outcomes. Conclusion Adolescent smartphone addiction is shaped not only by behavioral exposure and demographic factors but also by the emotional quality of parent–adolescent relationships. Perceived paternal alienation was associated with greater addiction severity. Prevention efforts may benefit from integrating relational-strengthening strategies alongside digital-behavior regulation.