Abstract: The small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén), is an important agricultural pest which causes damage to many food crops in Chinese Yangtze River valley and Huanghuai area. The widespread and mass use of insecticides has led to the evolution of resistance to different type insecticides in L. striatellus. Further study on the molecular mechanism of resistance can provide important theoretical basis for the rapid detection and management of resistance of L. striatellus. This review summarized the research progress of the resistance molecular mechanisms, which are induced by chlorpyrifos, imidacloprid, deltamethrin, buprofezin, fipronil and ethiprole, including the identification and functional verification of resistance detoxification enzyme, transport genes and mutations of the target gene site. The current existing problems in this research area mainly focus on the functional validation and regulation path of resistance genes, the identification of new resistance genes, and the unclear mechanism of cross resistance and multiple resistance. Future development directions are expected including functional verification of resistance genes by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, the identification of new resistance genes and resistance regulation genes by transcriptome sequencing combined with bioinformatics, conformation of cross resistance and multiple resistance mechanism, proteomics level resistance mechanism study, and efficient field spraying technology to reduce pesticides application and improve efficiency of pesticides.