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Parents that are turning to alternative forms of communication such as email, text messaging and social media in order to discuss contact arrangements with their former partners could find themselves denied the opportunity to spend time with their children, researchers have claimed.

Academics at the University of Missouri have found that more and more separated parents are now contacting one another via these mediums, with many aggrieved ex-spouses claiming to have missed or not received messages.

The study in question saw researchers interview divorced parents individually, quizzing them on their relationships with their former partners. Results showed that whilst parents that enjoyed amicable post-divorce relationships were able to utilise a variety of forms of communication in order to discuss matters and make arrangements regarding their children, those whose relationships were more strained were likely to use technology to limit their ex-partner’s contact with the children or, in some instances, prevent them from exercising contact at all.

Lead researcher, Professor Lawrence Ganong, has called for divorce counsellors to teach parents to use communications technology responsibly, but also feels that email can still be extremely beneficial to separated and divorce parents, stating: 'Email is a great resource for hostile parents who can't talk face-to-face. They can communicate essential information while editing what they say to avoid conflict.”

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