Article
The Effects of Mothers' Phubbing on Playfulness in Early Childhood: Mediating Effect of Young Children’s Smart Devices Overdependence
| e-ISSN | 2982-6845 |
| p-ISSN | 1226-4474 |
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Abstract
This study examines the mediating effect of young children's smart device overdependence in the relationship between mothers' phubbing and playfulness in early childhood. Data were collected from 400 mothers of children aged 3 to 5 in South Korea’s metropolitan areas. After excluding five insincere responses, 395 participants' data were analyzed. As control variables, monthly household income, parents’ education level, the child’s age and gender, and mothers’ smart device usage time was entered. SPSS 22.0 and Process macro 4.2 were used for analysis. The main findings of the study are as follows. First, mothers' phubbing had a significant positive effect on young children’s smart devices overdependence. Second, young children’s smart devices overdependence had a significant negative effect on playfulness. Third, mothers' phubbing significantly influenced playfulness in early childhood through the mediation of young children’s smart devices overdependence. This study provides academic and practical significance by supporting the differentiation of the phubbing concept and revealing the negative impact of smart device use on playfulness in early childhood. The results may promote healthier smart device usage among mothers and children and serve as foundational data for developing programs to improve parent-child interactions.