Melbourne: British marriage counsellors claim that social networking sites like Facebook are contributing to separations and divorces.
According to a daily mail, British divorce firm Divorce-Online said Facebook was cited in one-fifth of the divorce petitions it processed last year.
It emerged that a number of bored middle-aged users in their 40s and 50s have had their lives thrown into turmoil as they try to reconnect with childhood sweethearts through the sites.
Australian Family Relationships Clearing House manager Elly Robinson said online behaviour was causing friction in households.
“People will come in (for counselling) where one partner may deny their online behaviour has been any sort of problem, but the issue is ... if it’s upsetting one of those people in the relationship, it’s a problem,” News.com.au quoted her as saying.
Robinson said the lack of research on the effect of online behaviour on relationships was surprising, considering the widespread use of social networking.
“Relationships develop more quickly online because inhibitions are lowered, it’s easy to exchange information, people are online 24/7, there’s an (endless) amount of people you can link up with who are there for the same reason, real life pressures fade away ... it’s a bit of a fantasy world,” she said.
Relationships Australia vice-president Anne Hollonds said while the Internet had made it easier to reconnect with lost loves, people ultimately had to take responsibility for their actions.
“The internet doesn’t make people have affairs. It’s become the pathway of choice for many people but I don’t think that means the Internet is breaking up families,” Hollonds said.
“Everyone has some degree of fantasy about a love that might have been from the past and the technology now helps you find these people.
“But there’s no evidence to suggest that had the technology not been available, you wouldn’t have had an affair with someone else anyway,” she added.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.