The online world is vast. A Mohawk County resident can practically live their entire life through their web-based persona, from holding down a job to ordering their groceries to meeting the partner of their dreams. Nearly everyone has a virtual presence, from adults down to even some very young kids.
Not surprisingly, then, the internet is beginning to play a part in some family law matters. Though parents often fight for physical and legal custody of their kids, some must settle for visitation time with their offspring. In jurisdictions around the nation and some right here in New York, some parents are beginning to have virtual visitation opportunities with their children.
It is important to note that virtual visitation is not meant to fully take the place of regular in-person visitation sessions. Further, virtual visitation is intended to offer parents and their kids more chances to interact and build their relationships. Courts can choose to work virtual visitation time into the child custody and visitation orders that they create if such interactions would support the best interests of the children. However, if a child is not able to have an open, uncensored line of virtual communication with their parent without the obstruction of the other parent, then virtual visitation may not fulfill its intended purpose.
Virtual visitation has benefits as well as downfalls. Through virtual visitation, a parent may be able to see their child’s face at night and participate in the child’s bedtime routine. They may be able to virtually attend events in their child’s life that they otherwise may not have been able to witness. However, the ease of virtual visitation may reduce the relationship of the parent to child to only that: an interaction performed over electronic platforms.
Court proceedings related to child custody and visitation matters can take very different turns depending on the situation of the family working through its issues. Mohawk Valley family law attorneys can discuss virtual visitation with their clients as a part of their divorce and custody guidance.