A significant number of the changes occurred in society in recent years can be attributed to the diffusion of the Internet. With the emergence of chats, emails, websites, blogs and social networks, people have found new ways to communicate without geographical limitations, interacting with speed and ease with those who share common interests. Although social networks were originally devised to generate closeness among friends and foster the creation of new friendships, a new and interesting phenomenon began to emerge: the virtual mourning. This thesis focuses specifically on this type of manifestation in ORKUT communities, established by bereaved parents who felt the need to share their grief with other parents who have had similar experiences. It was essential to resort to a wide literature on the role of the child within a family and investigate the vision of several experts regarding the psychological process of elaboration of mourning in order to perform a consistent and thorough analysis on the use of virtual mourning, especially those concerning the stages an individual goes through when losing a loved one. It was also necessary to gather information through field research that included a sample of twenty bereaved parents participating in ORKUT communities focused on this segment. Although the pain of losing a child may seem unbearable and eternal for those who experience it, this work reveals the important role that virtual communities have to this public. The survey indicated that bereaved parents believe to be an impossible and even unattainable goal to mitigate their pain, and not succumb. If the pain of losing a child seems to resemble a feeling of falling into an abyss, virtual communities for bereaved parents act as rescue ropes. According to respondents, among the benefits of participating in such groups emerge the possibility of dividing the weight of their feelings with other members, learn from those who were able stand up again on their own feet, have the opportunity to read, write or receive similar statements; have the chance to vent without being stopped or reproached and receive words of affection, encouragement and support and even phrases which when said by others would seem insensitive, offensive or intrusive, but not in this specific case because they were expressed by someone who lived the same drama. This perception is shared by parents of different ages and social classes, in different stages of elaboration of mourning for deceased children at different ages. In this regard, to have a sense of closeness with other bereaved parents from anywhere, at any time, minimizes loneliness because it is shared with those who have suffered the same impact.