The emergence and development of the Internet over the past few decades have resulted in various changes in society. Growing up in a time when the Internet is an everyday occurrence for most people, especially adolescents, brings with it new ways of spending time, new opportunities, but also dangers. Technological devices have become an indispensable part of everyday life. We learn all new knowledge about life and events in the world through the media, and access to the Internet, in addition to new knowledge, also allows us to communicate with people from all over the world. That is why, to satisfy the human need for mutual contact and interaction, social networks began to develop in the last years of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. Therefore, the digital generation has completely new characteristics of growing up compared to previous generations. The most common form of electronic violence occurs on social networks. That is why the role of the family in a child's life is very important. Children transfer all the behaviors and emotional reactions they learn within the family to their future behaviors and reactions. If the family relationships are poor, the possibility of peer violence is greater. Lack of parental warmth and attention at an early age increases the likelihood of violent behavior at a later age, as does psychological abuse experienced by parents and dissatisfaction with family relationships. The way parents communicate with children and the content they talk about with them can have a positive or negative impact on a child's risky behaviors. Poor communication between parents and children is a risk factor for the later occurrence of peer violence, while open communication is crucial for adequate child development. Establishing clear boundaries regarding the use of the Internet and social networks, which refers to which sites children can visit and how much time they can spend on social networks, is also a significant protective factor in preventing violence on social networks.

The main goal of this research was to determine the behavior of young people on the Internet, especially on social networks. The work was primarily focused on examining the existence of a connection between participation in violent behavior on social networks and applications and family-related factors. The research was conducted among 145 first and second grade high school students. The survey method was used in the research, and a structured questionnaire consisting of several parts was applied: sociodemographic data of the respondents, data on ownership of electronic devices and use of the Internet and social networks, Questionnaire on Internet Violence - UNPI, and the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale - PACS. The results showed that people who have better communication with their parents are less likely to participate in violence on social networks, either as perpetrators of violence or as victims of violence. Also, a connection was found between the frequency of use of social networks by participants and the assessment of the frequency of use of social networks by their parents, which means that people who use social networks more often estimate that their parents also use social networks more often. In addition, the results of the study showed that boys and girls use social networks equally and perceive family functioning and positive communication with parents equally.

Keywords: Electronic peer violence, social networks, communication in the family, parental use of social networks.