With Covid-19, most everyone is now familiar with video conferencing and interacting with other people through the computer or smart phone. It should come as no surprise that this technology has long been used to facilitate contact between parents and their children, generally referred to as “virtual visitation”. While it is nothing new in family law, the pandemic has placed a spotlight on all things virtual.
Prior to the pandemic, it was common for a parent to have scheduled phone contact with children. As cell phones became more popular, opportunities for additional contact arose. Disputes developed involving one parent purchasing a phone without telling the other parent, or a young child being given a phone with no limits or appropriate filters.
Eventually, technology gave us cameras to attach to our computers, which really set up opportunities for virtual visitation. Then with the creation of FaceTime and other similar phone apps, the floodgates opened.
Is a computer screen different than being with a person? Of course. But in situations of great distance, scheduling issues or other similar challenges, the opportunity for virtual visitation is a fantastic option.
