Is Facebook Fueling Divorce?

According to an article in Telegraph.co.uk, Facebook is becoming a growing factor in marriage splits. In this article, divorce lawyers claim that Web sites such as Facebook are another distraction that tempts partners to cheat on one another.

Furthermore, recent news indicates that the use of Facebook as evidence in divorce cases is also increasing. In fact, a new survey released by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) claims that 81 percent of divorce lawyers state that they have seen a growth in social networking evidence in divorce cases in the last five years. The amount of evidence is causing divorce lawyers to advise their clients to nix their social networking pages as quickly as possible.

According to President of the AAML, Marlene Eskind Moses, people going through divorce are under elevated levels of scrutiny. This means that web postings that contradict promises or claims you have made during your marriage could be used against you by your estranged spouse during divorce proceedings.

If you are considering divorce, consider this: Of the social networking sites used as evidence in divorce proceedings, Facebook ranks number one at 66% (according to AAML respondents), MySpace is next at 15% and other choices listed make up the rest at 14% of the time.

While there is no solid evidence that supports the fact that Facebook is causing divorce, it is undeniable that it is increasingly used as evidence in divorce cases. Whether you are in the midst of divorce or considering it a serious option, you might want to consider also getting rid of your Facebook account—especially if you have posted things on it that your partner could use to confirm broken marriage vows or other promises you have previously made and then broken.

On the flip side, if you suspect your spouse of infidelity or broken marital promises, Facebook and other social networking sites (including those such as LinkedIn and Twitter) can be evidentiary gold mines for you. Besides infidelity, they can provide evidence regarding important information such as financial status, job searches, disparaging comments and marital assets.