Family Law

Virtual Visitation Being Ordered on More Frequent Basis

By J. Benjamin Stevens

For those dealing with long-distance visitation and/or relocation issues, judges are beginning to require "virtual visitation" on an ever-increasing basis.  A recent article explained that a New York judge has ordered that a Long Island mother make her two children available to talk to their father via Skype, an online video conferencing service, as a condition of her move to Florida.

While this was apparently the first time a judge in that state has required video conferencing, judges here in South Carolina have done it in certain cases for quite some time.  Today's technology provides many tools, such as e-mail, instant messaging and Web cams.  Obviously, chatting virtually is not as good as actual, "face-to-face" visitation, but for parents who live a great distance from their children, it is far superior to merely talking by telephone.

If you want to learn more about these issues, you can review the following resources:

• "Live-Action Interaction: Virtual Visitation Diminishes Distances Between Divorced Parents and Their Kids" published in the ABA Journal (2005) 
• "Virtual Parents: How Virtual Visitation Legislation Is Shaping the Future of Custody Law" published Journal of Law and Family Studies

Source:  "Judge Orders Skype Visits as Condition of Mom's Move" by Molly McDonough, published at the ABA Journal | Law News Now.

Full post as published by SC Family Law Blog on August 25, 2010 (boomark / email).