NewsTalk 1010: How Social Media Influences Divorce - Featuring Alyssa Bach, Shulman & Partners

In a segment on NewsTalk 1010, the conversation turned to a growing and perhaps unexpected force shaping modern relationships: social media. Host Jim Richards explored whether the constant exposure to curated, idealized versions of other people's lives is contributing to marital dissatisfaction and, ultimately, divorce. Alyssa Bach, Associate Lawyer at Shulman & Partners LLP, joined the program to speak to what she is seeing firsthand in family law, offering a grounded and practical perspective on how platforms like Instagram and TikTok are no longer a peripheral issue in family law, but a central one. 

"Social media in general is such a common topic that comes up when people come in, even at a consult stage. It is not this peripheral issue that we have in family law anymore, but it is more central to not only how relationships are breaking down, but also how cases are unfolding in court. 
— Alyssa Bach, Associate Lawyer, Shulman & Partners LLP 

Alyssa describes how social media tends to act as an accelerant for existing discontent. When someone already has dissatisfaction in their relationship, seeing idealized snapshots of other people's lives online breeds further discontent, creating what she called a slow trickle down of deterioration. If those feelings go unaddressed and undiscussed between partners, they can eventually lead people to seek legal advice.

She acknowledged that while questions about social media's emotional impact are perhaps more naturally suited to a therapist, family lawyers inevitably find themselves addressing these dynamics with clients. She described the role as acting as a quasi-counselor, flagging concerns and reminding clients not to let social media fueled dissatisfaction escalate an otherwise amicable separation into a more contentious one. In some situations, she noted, it may be worth raising the possibility of marriage counseling, particularly where reconciliation has not yet been genuinely considered.

Beyond its role in relationship breakdown, Alyssa identified the courtroom as the place where social media's impact is most clearly visible in family law. Posts, direct messages, and tagged photos are now routinely introduced as evidence, and she reminded listeners that a digital footprint is nearly impossible to fully erase. Deleted content can often be recovered, and screenshots regularly end up in a family lawyer's hands and, in some cases, before a judge.

She emphasized that what a person posts online can be used to assess their ability to co-parent and make child focused decisions. When conflict is aired on public platforms that a person's children, or their children's friends and parents, may have access to, it risks drawing children into the dispute, whether directly or indirectly. How someone speaks about their co-parent online, Alyssa explained, can become an indicator of how well the two parties will be able to share parenting responsibilities going forward.

Overall, the discussion underscored that social media is no longer a side issue in family law. It shapes how relationships deteriorate, how disputes are documented, and how courts evaluate the conduct of separating spouses. Alyssa's message was straightforward: people need to be mindful of their online behaviour not only during their relationship, but after it ends as well.

Listen to the full NewsTalk 1010 segment here.

This media appearance is part of Shulman & Partners LLP’s ongoing contributions to Canadian family law discussions. Explore more of our media features in our In the Media archive.