Did you read the recent headlines that Facebook is to blame for 1 in 5 divorces in the United States?  According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) 81 percent of the country’s top divorce lawyers all agree that there has been a significant increase in the number of cases using social networking evidence during the past five years!  They have also stated that Facebook is the unrivaled leader for online divorce evidence with 66 percent stating it is the primary source!

What can you do to prevent Facebook from being a reason for your relationship difficulties?  Below are three ways that you can prevent Facebook from being the center of a relationship breakup!

1) Avoid the Danger Zone! You want to decide who can potentially be a danger to your current relationship. Most people do not plan to have an affair unless they intentionally are on the hunt to do so, otherwise, it is important to realize that most inappropriate relationships start with innocent conversations or getting updated on what each other has been doing over the years! If your partner has an issue with a certain friend, be proactive and just delete them from your friend list! Is it really worth the fight and distance in your real life relationship?

2) Don’t air your relationship dirty laundry! In the moment of being upset or angry with your partner, resist the temptation to put them on blast to your friend list!  This is an easy way to bring the wolves out of sheep’s clothing if they avoided the “danger zone test.” This is also a sure way to cause more problems in your relationship!  After all, what happens when you forgive your partner, but your friends only remember the hurtful things you posted?

3) Sharing is Caring! If someone does make an inappropriate comment or engages you in cyber flirting, share with your partner what occurred and discuss the most appropriate way to handle it.  This person has now identified himself or herself as a red-flag friend! It may be best to avoid any relationship challenges with your partner by just simply deleting them.

Lastly, remember that Facebook is not the real relationship problem between you and your partner!  It is the relationship dynamics that existed before the Facebook issues! It is easy to get  “hooked” on Facebook if your real life is not so great! Therefore, the best guard to avoid getting hooked on FaceCrack is to put more energy and time into your real life relationships!