<p>Drawing on social learning theory, the ecosystem theory, the broaden-and-build theory of gratitude, and the empathy-altruism hypothesis, this study addresses a gap in the literature regarding how positive parenting styles influence IABs through emotional processes. A total of 1021 participants (aged from 17 to 23) were recruited from three universities in Shenyang city in China, including 564 (55.2%) engineering students, 175 (17.1%) science students and 282 (27.6%) liberal arts students. They completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire that assessed their parental warmth, empathy, gratitude, and engagement in Internet altruistic behavior. Regarding gender, 58.3% (<i>n</i> = 595) were male and 41.7% (<i>n</i> = 426) were female. The descriptive statistics, reliability, and correlation analyses were utilized. Structural equation modeling (mediation analysis) was used to test direct and indirect effects. Parental warmth was positively correlated with IAB, empathy and gratitude. Gratitude was a mediator on the effects of parental warmth on IAB. Moreover, empathy and gratitude served as sequential mediators on the effects of parental warmth and IAB. Thus, empathy and gratitude sequentially mediated the relationship between parental warmth and Internet altruistic behavior. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of parenting styles in fostering IABs and highlight the importance of emotional processes in this context. From a practical perspective, our findings may help to design effective psychological interventions to encourage college students’ Internet altruistic behavior.</p>