Child visitation by Skype | Bellevue child custody lawyer

Child visitation and Skype.  You may have heard of this tool available on the web called Skype, free phone and video services through the computer.  Well, the Journal of Law and Family Studies reported that a handful of states have adopted “virtual visitation” laws, authorizing judges to include e-mail, instant messaging, Web cams and other evolving tools of the internet to keep non-custodial parents in touch with their children. 

Utah and four other states have adopted such statutes, and seven more have legislation awaiting approval.  The Utah law came about when Michael Gough, the divorced father of a 4-year-old, set up an in-courtroom demonstration of Skype, the Internet-based video phone service, and asked the judge to require his ex-wife to allow him to use it to speak with his child.

Gough said, “Before starting virtual visitation, when I spoke with my four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, our telephone calls lasted only an average of 5 minutes. Now, during video calls, they last an average of 15 minutes and have gone on for as long as 45 minutes.”

Australian family courts have signed on to the trend and have used Skype in other ways such as video court appearance by the parties.  Technology is here to stay and the availability of Skype as a tool to keep distant parents in touch with their children is probably a benefit to the parent/child relationship when in person visits are not possible.

The Andrew Kim Law Firm, PLLC has offices in Bellevue and Tacoma, Washington.  Please call a Bellevue child visitation attorney to discuss your child custody issue today.  Our toll free phone number is 1-800-636-3676.