According to website Divorce-Online, a huge 30% of the divorce cases it encountered in just the first half of 2024 included complaints about social media use. This means that between January and August this year, around 464 of the 1,549 cases it dealt with identified problems with at least one partner spending too much time on their phones.

Other notable similar complaints included social media envy – where people compare their relationship to seemingly ‘perfect’ relationships online, which can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction. Some people even made claims of online infidelity, including issues with inappropriate private messages and what could be described as virtual or emotional affairs with a person outside the marriage.

Mark Keenan, from the divorce website which published the research, talked about the increasing role that social media has in both our lives and relationships. He explained:

“Back in 2014, we were one of the first to identify the growing role social media would play in marital breakdowns, and the data we’re seeing in 2024 is even more compelling. The issues of couples are no longer confined to traditional reasons such as infidelity or finances. The digital world has brought its own set of new challenges, and that could mean anything from online affairs to the fake lifestyles of influencers to the distraction of always being 'plugged in'.”

‘Digital detachment’ driving a wedge between couples

All of this behaviour has been described as ‘digital detachment’. It refers to behaviours such as constant phone use and/or an obsession with social media, either by one or both parties.

This can leave little time for real, meaningful in-person interaction and communication between couples. Happily married people can start to drift apart, or it can even lead to tension and resentment from one partner feeling neglected by the other.

In a recent piece in Grazia, a woman describes her experience of this kind of behaviour from her long-term boyfriend, who she eventually split up from:

“I could feel that whenever I forced him to be present, he’d be itching to get back to his phone and he wasn’t really engaged.

“What hope was there for a close relationship in the future? We barely spoke, because every quiet opportunity he’d reach straight for it.

“Conversations could never get deep because the flash of a message always took precedence, so he was never fully in the room. I know on some level we’re all addicted to our phones, but the emotional disconnect his addiction caused in our relationship left no room for romance or closeness.”

Need legal advice on divorce? Get in touch with Wirral divorce lawyer Tracey Miller Family Law. Call 0151 515 3036 or info@traceymillerfamilylaw.com to arrange your free, no obligation and no time limit consultation. We’re happy to help with everything from financial to family matters, giving you all the information you need to make the right decisions.