SOCIAL media is becoming a major factor in divorce and family law cases, according to experts at a North-East law firm.

The explosion in popularity of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites has been matched with a rise in the number of couples citing social media as a factor in their relationship break-ups, family lawyers at Ward Hadaway have found.

Jonathan Flower, partner and head of the family and matrimonial team at Ward Hadaway, said the ability to contact old flames or cultivate new relationships via social media has contributed to relationship problems for a growing number of couples.

He said: “Infidelity and relationship breakdown has been around for much longer than the internet has so it would be inaccurate to say that the likes of Facebook and Twitter are necessarily ‘causing’ relationships to fall apart.

“However, it is a fact that as more and more people use social media, so the temptation for them to ‘live other lives’ and cultivate other relationships that their partners do not know about grows.”

A survey last year found that more than a third of divorce filings in the UK contained the word ‘Facebook’, while one in five people admitted they use the site for flirting.

Mr Flower said information posted on these sites was often publically accessible but people could be lulled into a false sense of privacy when using them.

He said this could cause relationship issues.

“There have been a number of cases where someone has found out that their partner is looking elsewhere by finding a change to their Status Update on Facebook.

“In other cases, people already involved in divorce or other family law proceedings have revealed information about themselves via social media that has gone on to have a major impact on the course of those proceedings.

“The golden rule for anyone in a relationship who uses social media is to think carefully about what you are doing and what you are posting before you do it. You never know who might be watching or where something could be leading.”