Facebook Blamed for Surge in Divorces, Study Says

Facebook, one of the world's largest social networking sites, is reportedly being blamed for an increasing number of divorces.

1 in 5 Divorce Petitions Cite Facebook

According to The UK Telegraph, lawyers claim that Facebook, which is designed to connect old friends, is cited in almost one in five online divorce petitions because it and other social networking sites like it tempt people cheat on their spouses.

Mark Keenan, Managing Director of Divorce-Online was surprised to see that so many petitions contained references to Facebook. Some divorces have occurred because suspicious spouses used social networking sites to find evidence of affairs or extramarital flirting.

Inappropriate adult chats were the most common reason given for seeking divorce. (Source: telegraph.co.uk)

Amount of Time Spent on Facebook Up 566%

Facebook was also used to announce a divorce. One 35-year-old woman discovered her husband was divorcing her after he changed his 'status' to read that he had ended his marriage to her.

According to a Neilsen report (PDF), between December 2007 and December 2008 the total amount of time spent on Facebook rose by 566%, replacing MySpace as the world's most popular social network. (Source: nielsen.com)

Snooping Software Rapidly Emerging

Some computer firms are cashing in by offering low-cost, easy-to-use products designed to monitor everything your spouse or children do online. The rapid emergence of products targeting computer snooping, as noted by PC World, suggests that vendors see financial opportunity in people's mistrust of their own families. (Source: pcworld.com)

For example, last year a 28-year-old woman divorced her husband when she discovered he was sleeping with an escort in the game Second Life -- a virtual world in cyberspace.

Years ago, Friends Reunited was blamed for surging divorces because bored husbands and wives were using it to connect with old flames and first loves. (Source: telegraph.co.uk)

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