The relationship between parental phubbing and preschool children's social-emotional competence: a serial mediation model of family intimacy and parent-child attachment.

Parental phubbing, a growing phenomenon in the digital era, has raised concerns about its impact on young children's development. However, little is known about how parental phubbing influences preschool children's social-emotional competence and the underlying family mechanisms. Drawing on social learning theory, attachment theory, and family systems theory, this study examines the mediating roles of family intimacy and parent-child attachment. A total of 1,113 parents of preschool children in China participated in this study. The results showed that parental phubbing was negatively associated with children's social-emotional competence. First, family intimacy mediated the relationship between parental phubbing and children's social-emotional competence. Second, parent-child attachment also served as a mediator. More importantly, a significant serial mediation pathway was identified, whereby parental phubbing reduced family intimacy, which in turn weakened parent-child attachment and ultimately impaired children's social-emotional competence. These findings highlight the importance of family processes in understanding the negative effects of parental phubbing and provide practical implications for promoting young children's social-emotional development.