The panel will present the developmental and legal implications of digital media use in disputing families. We will begin with a discussion of how children’s interactions with digital media (cell phones, tablets, computers, gaming, social networking sites) may positively and negatively impact their development as well as their interpersonal relationships with their families and peers. The panel will, through the elucidation of case examples, present common disputes that arise between parents regarding their children’s use of digital media.

The use of digital media in litigation will also be explored.  Instead of using digital media to bolster one parent’s position in litigation, the panel will suggest that, if properly understood and applied, technology can be harnessed by the judicial system to facilitate positive outcomes for families.  Although the long-term effects of our rapidly evolving, all-consuming digital media age remain largely unknown, the panel will consider a family systems approach to identifying and resolving problems caused by the excessive use, misapplication or inconsistent approaches to the use of digital media by children and parents in disputing families.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will:

  1. Identify the most common digital media used by children, co-parents and families
  2. Gain an understanding of the effects of digital media on child and adolescent emotional and social development
  3. Become familiar with risks and opportunities associated with the use of digital media in family litigation