Family

The complexity of the family as an object and domain of study has been evident since the very beginning of sociology, as demonstrated by the number of definitions given to it through the centuries. The digital society has broadened this complexity: the new media are used mainly within the family and their social effects are particularly felt by children and adolescents; in fact, the new technologies have redesigned family organisation and the management of intergenerational relationships. After a brief introduction on the different definitions of the family given by classical and contemporary sociologists, some aspects of the impact of the new technologies on family relationships, namely, parental mediation (intergenerational relationships) and child and adolescent development (peer relationships) will be considered on the basis of empirical studies and assessed in terms of resources and risks.