Published: 2025-12-12

Bonding instead of control: the importance of parent-child relationships as a safeguard against involvement in destructive activities in the virtual world

Agnieszka Kubacka-Pawlak , dr hab. Błażej Kmieciak, prof. APS
Family Forum
Section: Rodzina, edukacja i sztuczna inteligencja / Family, education and artificial intelligence
DOI https://doi.org/10.25167/FF/6019

Abstract

This article examines the case of the teenage protagonist of the miniseries “Adolescence” in the context of attachment theory, mentalization, and emotion regulation, demonstrating the impact of a parent's unresolved trauma on a child's emotional development and functioning in offline and online relationships. Using a case study approach and analysis of literature, the authors discuss the chain of consequences: from impaired affect regulation in the caregiver, through the development of an insecure attachment style in the child, to deficits in understanding the internal states of others. The article demonstrates that in the absence of a secure attachment, the digital environment becomes a space leading to involvement in potentially destructive relationships. Online activity is intended to compensate for emotional needs. However, the network can be a place of increased risk of exposure to violence and manipulation. The article emphasizes that technical control of access to online content has limited effectiveness unless accompanied by a high-quality parent-child relationship. The article's conclusions emphasize the crucial importance of attachment as the foundation for a child's real safety in the online and offline world, pointing to the need for prevention based on relationality rather than solely on control. The publication also draws attention to the special role of the father, whose involvement in the upbringing process may be an important element in preventing the occurrence of antisocial behavior in a young person.

Keywords:

parenting, attachment theory, juvenile delinquency, emotion regulation, involvement

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Citation rules

Kubacka-Pawlak, A., & Kmieciak, B. (2025). Bonding instead of control: the importance of parent-child relationships as a safeguard against involvement in destructive activities in the virtual world. Family Forum, 15, 47–67. https://doi.org/10.25167/FF/6019

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