Social changes in recent decades have significantly affected the concept of the family. New family structures have emerged that are significantly different from the notion of the traditional family. Although the concept of the modern family has brought about positive changes, the number of children suffering from some form of violence has greatly increased. Today's upbringing of children has been greatly influenced by both the stress and the hustle and bustle of the modern way of life that has created disharmony within the family structure. A new concept has also been developed, the so-called dysfunctional family which indicates structural disorders and creates a negative emotional atmosphere for the development of the child. Within such families, children grow up in a negative environment that determines their future, and often become parents themselves within a dysfunctional family relationship. Forms of abuse vary widely, but what connects them is the negative impact on a child’s development. In the literature, the most common division of abuse is corporal punishment and abuse, emotional and sexual abuse, and neglect. In order to reduce child abuse, it is necessary to understand the protective mechanisms and be able to identify risk factors in order to provide help and protection to children. Social support is often the most important, but emotional, informational, instrumental and other forms of support are equally important. Recognizing child abuse in time can be crucial, not only for the further development of the child, but also for preventing the increasingly common and worst outcome of abuse, the loss of a child’s life. Current circumstances and the global situation at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic further increased the already high numbers of abused children due to changes that negatively affected the mental and physical condition of the population. Numerous international organizations are actively working on the implementation of initiatives to protect the most vulnerable group in society, moreover, the UN initiative #ENDViolence since its inception in 2016 works to completely eradicate violence against children by 2030. The aim of this paper is to define the concept of the modern family and the problems of today and to show the impact of risk and protective factors on the growth and development of children. The ultimate purpose of the paper is to complement existing research on the problems of modern families, with special emphasis on domestic violence against children.