Longitudinal associations between adolescents’ smartphone distraction management during family time and their relationships with parents

Although smartphone distractions are common and impactful in adolescents’ lives, how adolescents manage these distractions remains understudied, particularly with respect to family relationships. This study examined the concurrent and time-lagged associations between adolescents’ frequency of smartphone distraction management (SDM) during family time and their relationship quality with their mother and father. The sample included 152 adolescents (Mage = 15.5, SD = 1.45; 48.0% female) who reported their SDM every two weeks and their family relationships monthly for 6 months. Adolescents reported often managing smartphone distractions when spending time with family members (41.5% to 80.3% of SDM occurrence across time points). Multilevel models revealed positive within- and between-person concurrent associations between adolescents’ SDM and their relationship quality with mothers and fathers, but monthly time-lagged associations were nonsignificant. Findings highlight SDM as a potentially malleable factor shaping family functioning and illuminate the potential effectiveness of interventions that promote SDM in enhancing adolescents’ well-being.