Children in the Digital World: New Challenges and Adult Responsibility – in the Latest Issue of the Journal "Psychology and Law"

We are pleased to present a new thematic issue of the journal "Psychology and Law" (No. 3, 2025), which addresses the social risks of modern childhood.

Scientific research helps the professional community and society as a whole comprehend new phenomena, trends, and problems. This is equally true for research in the field of modern childhood. The rapidly changing conditions in which children live and develop present both new opportunities and new risks. The processes of digitalization in social life, in particular, possess this dual nature. From an early age, children often perceive digital devices and the internet as a natural and integral part of their environment, and over the years - as an extension of themselves.

While having access to a vast, often unregulated information and communication resource, they may not consider the consequences of their online actions, which can be reckless. How can we prevent them from "falling off a cliff" they cannot see? To address this, adults must recognize their key role in the "adult–child–internet" triangle.

Dangers arise when children have unlimited access to digital devices, the internet, and artificial intelligence, and are left to navigate these spaces alone. The nearby adult serves as the primary bearer of norms and culture for the child, and it is this adult who influences how the child builds relationships in both real and virtual life. Adults must be aware of the dangers present in the digital environment and take proactive measures to mitigate them together with children. At the same time, despite the growing role of the internet and artificial intelligence, it is important to note that other, non-digital risks persist.

Problems related to such types of behavioral deviations as addictive and aggressive behavior in adolescents, and methods for their prevention and correction, remain relevant. The research conducted by the authors of the publications in our thematic issue is dedicated to various aspects of this broad topic.

All articles of the issue can be read in open access on the portal of psychological publications PsyJournals.ru.

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