Parent–Child Play and Media Addiction in Adolescence: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

Although media addiction is a recognized public health concern, the theoretical framework surrounding its longitudinal development remains relatively underdeveloped. This study addresses that gap by evaluating a developmental model that traces a path from early parent-child play at age 6 to adolescent media addiction at age 14, with executive function and peer attachment at age 10 examined as parallel mediators. We used three waves of data from a representative sample of 1,130 parent-child dyads in the Panel Study on Korean Children. Early parent-child play at age 6 significantly predicted higher executive function at age 10, which subsequently predicted lower media addiction at age 14. This indirect path via executive function was statistically significant. Conversely, the indirect effect through peer attachment was not significant, as peer attachment was unrelated to both early play and subsequent media addiction. The direct effect of parent-child play on adolescent media addiction was nonsignificant, demonstrating that the protective influence of early family play operates through cognitive mechanisms rather than social bonds. These findings shift the clinical focus from proximal adolescent factors to early prevention, emphasizing middle childhood as a critical therapeutic window for bolstering executive function to mitigate later media addiction risks.