Relationship problems caused by social media are implicated in nearly a third of divorce cases, lawyers say.
“Digital detachment,” “always on the phone” and “online affairs” are just some of the terms divorce lawyers say are becoming more common in marital breakups.
Other phrases that appear in divorce proceedings include “Instagram envy,” “constant social media use,” “texting exes,” “emotional disconnection,” and “influencer envy.”
Online divorce specialists at divorce-online found that 30 percent of the 1,549 divorces it handled between January and August of this year (2024) contained complaints related to social media use.
Artificial intelligence was used to analyze key phrases used by clients when describing their marital problems during divorce proceedings.
Relationship problems caused by social media, including “online affairs” and “always being on the phone,” are the cause of almost a third of divorce cases, according to lawyers (file photo)
The AI tool created a “word cloud” – a visual tapestry of words – with issues linked to social media dominating the image.
The company’s managing director, Mark Keenan, said: “We have seen a marked increase in the number of customers contacting us due to problems that started online.
‘As social media platforms continue to dominate daily interactions, they have also become a major source of conflict in many marriages.
‘It is clear that digital infidelity is no longer just a secondary problem in relationships: it is often the main cause of marital breakdown.
Couples are no longer limited to fighting traditional problems like infidelity, as the digital world has opened up new challenges (file photo)
‘We were one of the first companies to identify the growing role social media plays in marital breakups and the data from our AI tool is even more compelling.
‘Couples are no longer limited to fighting traditional problems such as infidelity and financial problems.
‘The digital world has introduced new challenges, whether it’s an online adventure, unrealistic expectations set by influencers, digital detachment, or simply the distraction of always being ‘on.’
Divorce-online, which offers clients the opportunity to start the divorce process online, has handled more than 200,000 divorces since its inception in 1999 and handled 2,379 divorces last year.
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