Family Law

Facebook Is a Factor in 1 in 5 Divorces in the United States

By J. Benjamin Stevens

I have blogged before (here, here, here, here, and here) about the increased number of cases that involve Facebook in one aspect or another.  A survey by the AAML confirmed my suspicion when it found that one in five divorces involve Facebook.  It also stated that eighty percent of divorce lawyers have also reported a spike in the number of cases that use social media for evidence of cheating.

Of course, emails have provided a medium for spouses to correspond with their paramours, but Facebook provides a whole new way to do so.  First, many users use social media sites to get in touch with old flames that they hadn't heard from in many years.  Next, the instant messaging capabilities built into Facebook allow the spouse to communicate with his/her lover and to do so in a way that leaves less of a "trail."

You can read much more about this growing phenomenon and the survey results in general here.

Source:  "The Marriage Killer: One in Five American Divorces Now Involve Facebook" by David Gardner, published at the Daily Mail.

Full post as published by SC Family Law Blog on December 13, 2010 (boomark / email).