Facebook a Factor in a Third of UK Divorces

hypnosec writes with an excerpt from an IT Pro Portal article: "A recent survey conducted by a UK based divorce website disclosed that 33 percent of behavior divorce petitions filed cite Facebook as a cause for filing for divorce in 2011. In 2009 this figure was 20 per cent. 5000 people were surveyed by Divorce-Online, the UK divorce website, during 2009 and 2011 covering Facebook as a means to check behavior of spouse with the opposite sex and spouses using the social networking platform to comment about their exes post the separation. Three reasons that came out on the top for listing Facebook in divorce petition were inappropriate messages sent to the opposite sex, posting nasty comments about exes, and friends on Facebook reporting about spouse's behavior."

Facebook and divorce, it writes itself!

[Overly Critical Guy]

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! How many times can the same story be recycled over the course of two years?

December 22, 2009 - Facebook's Other Top Trend of 2009: Divorce [networkworld.com]

April 12, 2010 - Facebook to Blame for Divorce Boom [foxnews.com]

June 28, 2010 - Facebook is divorce lawyers' new best friend [msn.com]

January 19, 2011 - Divorce cases get the Facebook factor [menmedia.co.uk]

March 7, 2011 - Survey Shows Facebook an Increasing Factor in Divorce [thenewamerican.com]

January 1, 2012 - Facebook flirting triggers divorces [indiatimes.com]

Slow news cycle? Nothing else to publish? Blame Facebook for divorce!

Re:Facebook and divorce, it writes itself!

[Anonymous Coward]

It is not Facebook, It is access.

Cited in, not cited as the cause of.

[Headw1nd]

Wow, this is some poor reporting. At first I thought the summary was to blame, but no, the articles themselves have it wrong. Facebook is being cited in 33% of all British divorces, but not as the cause. When they say cited, they mean just that: That something from Facebook was brought up in the courtroom. That could be, and in fact seems to frequently be something from well after the couple has separated, brought up as part of custody or property hearings.