How does parental autonomy support influence adolescents’ academic performance? The mediating roles of active parental internet mediation and parent–child cohesion

Adolescents’ academic performance, which has been found to be closely associated with parental factors, is an important part of adolescents’ development. In the current information age, the internet is also profoundly influencing adolescents’ academic performance. This study aimed to examine the association between parental autonomy support and adolescents’ academic performance, as well as the potential roles of active parental internet mediation and parent–child cohesion in this relationship. A sample of 990 adolescents (47.3% boys) volunteered to participate in this study and complete a set of scales. The results revealed that: (a) parental autonomy support was positively associated with adolescents’ academic performance; (b) active parental internet mediation and parent–child cohesion mediated the association between parental autonomy support and academic performance in parallel; and (c) active parental internet mediation and parent–child cohesion were found to play a chain-mediating role in the association between parental autonomy support and adolescents’ academic performance. The study demonstrates that positive parenting (including parental autonomy support and active parental internet mediation) and parent–child cohesion improve adolescents’ academic performance. The results have value for guiding adolescents to use the internet responsibly and improving their academic performance.