Social media is a major catalyst in divorces in the UK according to a recent report conducted by Slater and Gordon.
The survey comes following the questioning of over 2,000 married Britons and revealed the growth in the power of social media, and the impact it is having on marriages across the UK. The survey found that one in seven of those questioned would consider a divorce due to the behaviour of their partner on social media.
Social Media A Key Player?
The survey was commissioned following more and more cases citing behaviour of social media as a reason for divorce and the results perhaps showed why.
Just under 50% of adults admitted that they had secretly checked their partners social media profile when they had been unaware, with one in five admitting that it led to an argument as a result of what they discovered. Worryingly almost a quarter or the 2,000 married persons asked said they had at least one argument a week with their partner because of social media use with 17% admitting to rowing on a daily basis because of it.
The vast majority of those who utilised social media was to try and find out who their partners had been talking to, while others wanted to keep tabs on them or find out what they really thought about a certain thing. 14% of all those surveyed stated that they intentionally went to social media to try and find out any details regarding infidelity.
Andrew Newbury, head of family law at Slater and Gordon and author of the report said: "Social media can also make a divorce more difficult. Divorce is already a stressful time for everyone involved and what is being posted on Facebook can antagonise families and make a speedy resolution more difficult to achieve.
"We are now actively advising our clients to be cautious when it comes to using Facebook and all forms of social media because of its potential to damage relationships."
"Five years ago Facebook was rarely mentioned in the context of a marriage ending, but now it has become common place for clients to cite social media use, or something they discovered on social media, as a reason for divorce.
"Social media, specifically pictures and posts on Facebook, are now being routinely raised in the course of divorce proceedings.
"It wasn't just what their partner was doing on social media but also how long they spent on it that was likely to cause marital problems with Facebook usage topping the list of reasons couples argued over social media."
Many admitted that they had use of a secret account, intentionally hid things from their partner, or used social media to send images. Many, however, did state that they kept their social media account private, however, to counter this, 58% said they knew their partner's log-in details, even if their spouse wasn't aware they knew them.
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