Beyond Restriction: Relationship Quality and Gender as Moderators of the Association Between Parental Restrictive Mediation and Adolescent Cyberbullying in China.

Background/Objectives: Although parental mediation has been widely recognized as a protective factor against cyberbullying, evidence regarding restrictive mediation remains inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. This inconsistency underscores the need to identify potential moderators. The present study examines whether parent-child relationship qualities (trust and alienation) and child gender moderate the associations between restrictive mediation and both cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization. Methods: Participants included 2075 adolescents (Mage = 16.50, SD = 3.11; 926 boys) from Grades 7-12 in urban China. Self-report measures assessed restrictive mediation, parent-child trust and alienation, and adolescents' involvement in cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization. Results: Parental restrictive mediation and parent-child alienation were positively associated with adolescents' cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization, whereas parent-child trust was negatively associated with both outcomes. Moreover, parent-child alienation significantly moderated the associations between parental restrictive mediation and cyberbullying, such that restrictive mediation predicted higher levels of cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization under conditions of greater alienation. These moderating effects were particularly pronounced among boys, whereas for girls, the association was weaker or non-significant. Conclusions: These findings suggest that inconsistencies in prior research may be explained by variations in parent-child alienation and gender. The results highlight the need to foster trust and reduce alienation in parent-child relationships, rather than relying solely on restrictive Internet control, to prevent adolescents' involvement in cyberbullying.