Facebook Dangers

News Column

Beka Johnson

Couples cite Facebook in one out of five US divorces, say Loyola University researchers —and 81% of divorce lawyers report a rise in cases using social networks as evidence, ZDNet reports. For cases that do make use of online evidence, Facebook is by far the biggest source, according to 66% of attorneys in a recent survey. As for the network's relationship-busting role, “we’re coming across it more and more,” says Marjorie Terry, a psychologist from Wheaton.

On Facebook, she notes, spouses may easily transition from chatting with old friends to more intense relationships. One spouse reconnects with a high-school acquaintance, and “within a short amount of time, the sharing of personal stories can lead to a deepened sense of intimacy,” she notes. “I don’t think these people typically set out to have affairs. A lot of it is curiosity.”

According to Terry a relationship  needs to have some protective hedges set up. "The curiosity of contacting a former acquaintance of relationship should be stopped. What that person is doing in their new lives shouldn't be an influence on yours. Those ties are broken and you have a new relationship to focus on. Leave the past in the past." Terry believes keeping away from those contacts will stop the straying from happening.

For brides and grooms getting ready to commit for a lifetime, they can also shut down any contact they have now. Their odds for success will go up if they protect their new marriage from the beginning.