We’re a nation of social media snoopers according to research into online activity of couples, with 30% of people admitting to spying on their partner’s social media profiles.
And it’s having a negative impact on our relationships according to a leading law firm.
The poll, by Gorvins Solicitors family team, revealed that more than one in two couples (56%) have experienced friction in their relationship due to posts they’ve seen on their partner’s social media platforms.
But it’s unsurprising that partners are somewhat touchy about each other’s social media activity as one in ten (12%) have admitted to connecting with someone on social media, which led them to being unfaithful to their partner.
Men are the worst offenders it seems, with 16% admitting to being unfaithful with a social media connection. But they are also more likely spy on their partner’s social media activity (33% compared to 28% of women).
The family team at Gorvins Solicitors has seen a notable increase in social media impacting on relationships of its clients, with a significant number of divorcees citing some kind of damaging social networking activity in their divorce papers.
Sally Leaman, Partner and head of family at Gorvins said: “With social media playing a greater role in the development and management of a relationship these days it is no surprise that it is now also featuring in its breakdown.
“Sites like Friends Reunited have certainly had an impact over the last 10 years or so. Reconnecting with an old friend can have devastating implications for a current relationship. We’ve also had a number of instances where people have found out that their ex-partner is in a new relationship through their Facebook or Twitter profiles, so it continues to have an impact even after relationships have ended,” she said.
Sally continued: “As we expected, our survey showed that it was the younger generation who were more likely to monitor their partner’s social media activity, and be unfaithful through online connections, but those aged 55 and over are also seeing the impact of social media on their relationships.
“A third of these silver surfers said activity had caused friction between them. With this age group being the fastest growing adopters of social networking we expect this will only increase over time.”