The present study examines the moderating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between parenting styles and social anxiety among adolescents. Drawing on a sample of 220 adolescents (43.7% girls and 50.9% boys) aged 13 to 20, the research explores how authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles influence social anxiety, and how adolescents’ capacity for emotion regulation impacts this relationship. Using a correlational research design and convenience sampling, participants were assessed through well-established measures, including the Social Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and Parenting Style Questionnaire (PSQ), administered in Urdu. The findings suggest that emotion regulation serves as a critical buffer, particularly enhancing the positive effects of authoritative parenting while mitigating the negative impacts of authoritarian or permissive parenting. Adolescents with effective emotion regulation skills reported lower levels of social anxiety, regardless of parenting style. However, limitations related to the broad age range (13–20) must be noted, as adolescents at different developmental stages may exhibit varying capacities for emotion regulation and social anxiety. To address these challenges, the study recommends tailored intervention programs to enhance emotion regulation, parental education initiatives, and the integration of emotion regulation into school curricula. Additionally, future research should adopt longitudinal designs and include diverse cultural and demographic samples to capture the nuances of adolescence and ensure the generalizability of findings. These recommendations aim to foster a holistic approach to supporting adolescents' emotional well-being.