According to lawyers, relationship problems caused by social media play a role in nearly a third of divorce cases.
“Digital detachment,” “always on your phone,” and “online affairs” are some of the terms that divorce attorneys say are increasingly common in divorce cases.
Other terms that often come up in divorce proceedings include “Instagram jealousy,” “constant social media use,” “messaging ex-partner,” “emotional disconnection,” and “influencer jealousy.”
Online divorce specialist divorce-online found that 30 percent of the 1,549 divorces it handled between January and August this year (2024) involved complaints related to social media use.
This involved using artificial intelligence to analyze key phrases clients used to describe their marital problems during divorce proceedings.
Relationship problems caused by social media, including ‘online affairs’ and ‘always on the phone’, account for nearly a third of divorce cases, lawyers say (file photo)
Couples no longer struggle with traditional issues like infidelity alone, as the digital world brings new challenges (archive photo)
The AI tool created a “word cloud” – a visual tapestry of words – with issues related to social media dominating.
Mark Keenan, the company’s chief executive, said: ‘We have seen a marked increase in the number of customers contacting us about issues that started online.
As social media becomes increasingly important in daily interactions, it has also become a major source of conflict in many marriages.
‘It is clear that digital infidelity is no longer a side issue in relationships. It is often the leading cause of marital problems.
“We were one of the first companies to recognize the growing role of social media in the failure of marriages. The data that our AI tool provides is even more compelling.
‘Couples no longer only have to deal with traditional problems such as infidelity and financial problems.
‘The digital world brings new challenges. Whether it’s online affairs, unrealistic expectations from influencers, digital detachment or simply the distraction of always being ‘plugged in’.’
Divorce-online offers clients the opportunity to start divorce proceedings online. Since its founding in 1999, the company has handled over 200,000 divorces, and last year that number was 2,379.