Latent Profile Analysis of Problematic Smartphone Use and Parental Strategies: A Six-month Prospective Study

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is an increasingly prevalent disorder among adolescents. We aimed to identify unique smartphone use profiles and examine whether different parental factors and adolescent smartphone use severity might explain these profiles. The sample comprised 1,187 Israeli families comprising mother/father/adolescent triads (48% boys, 51% girls; ages 14–18). Latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles of smartphone use: “normative use” (n = 435), “mild problematic use” (n = 481), and “severe problematic use” (n = 271). Subsequent MANOVAs revealed that parents of children with a severe PSU profile reported the highest severity levels, lowest communication, and support provided to their adolescents, and greater tendencies toward restrictive and negative active mediation strategies. These findings were consistent with the adolescents’ perceptions. Fathers of children with a mild problematic use profile reported increased support-giving over a six-month period. The research provides a more individualized approach to understanding smartphone use among adolescents.