Parenting Journal · Volume 1 · Issue 2 · Licensed source edition
Child–Robot Relationship Formation: A Narrative Review of Empirical Research
Originally published 2019-07-03 · International Journal of Social Robotics
Springer Science and Business Media LLC · DOI 10.1007/s12369-019-00569-0 ↗
AI / system type
Mixed programmed/human-operated social robots; pre-generative-AI evidence
Child-facing evidenceExamines children or child-focused systems. Transfer to everyday family life must be assessed separately.
The AI connection
Mixed programmed/human-operated social robots; pre-generative-AI evidence. Synthesizes how responsiveness, roles and interaction strategies relate to children’s closeness with robots.
Why this reading matters
A substantial relationship-focused foundation for discussing affection without attributing feelings to machines.
Editorial reading guide · Kindness
What makes a child feel attached to a robot companion?
Synthesizes how responsiveness, roles and interaction strategies relate to children’s closeness with robots.
Study context
86 journal and conference papers from 2000–2017
Age / stage: Typically developing children across included studies
Read with three questions
- Which features were linked with closeness?
- Were trust findings consistent across studies?
- What evidence addressed relationship development over time?
Keep the limits in view
Narrative synthesis of heterogeneous, often brief interactions; mechanisms and durable relationships understudied. Historical robot findings do not establish benefits of present LLM companions.
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Original authorship, publication date, journal and DOI are preserved. This issue’s TRICK placement and reading questions are editorial additions, not claims made by the original authors.
Caroline L van Straten; Jochen Peter; Rinaldo Kühne (2019). Child–Robot Relationship Formation: A Narrative Review of Empirical Research International Journal of Social Robotics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-019-00569-0
Permissions checked against the saved article notice; repository publication notices screened 2026-11-04. This is not a new peer-review decision. The source authors and publishers are not represented as endorsing this issue.