There's further evidence that cybersex is increasingly being blamed for the break-up of marriages.

According to online divorce service divorce-online, half of all divorce petitions it processed are due to Internet adultery and cybersex behaviour.

Of the 500 divorce petitions surveyed, half contained allegations concerning cybersex, inappropriate online relationships and pornography.

The findings appear to support earlier studies into the Net and marriage break-up.

Last year, two-thirds of lawyers meeting at an annual conference in Chicago reported that the Internet had played a significant role in divorces they had handled during the past year.

Meeting a new lover online and an "obsessive" interest in pornography were the top two problems cited in many Internet-related divorce cases, they said. Other reasons that have led to the break down of marriages include excessive use of the Net and chat rooms.

At the time, J Lindsey Short, Jr., president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, had this to say: "While I don't think you can say that the Internet is causing more divorces, it does make it easier to engage in the sorts of behaviours that traditionally lead to divorce." ®

Related Story

Internet blamed for marriage break ups