Virtual Visitation Should Be Used To Supplement In-Person Contact With Children

The Sunday New York Times  has an excellent article about virtual visitation. If you may not be familiar, virtual visitation uses technology, such as webcams, to allow a parent to supplement their in-person contact with their children. It can be a vast improvement over telephone calls in which children are often distracted or hesitant to use anything more than a one syllable word.

Since many judges are unfamiliar with advanced technology like webcams, several states have enacted legislation allowing virtual visitation. Apparently, California is among several states considering such legislation.

Although virtual visitation should never be used to limit in-person visitation or to bolster the case for a custodial parent's proposed relocation, it is an excellent way to allow parents to maintain a closer relationship with their children.

A comprehensive resource for virtual visitation,  www.internetvisitation.org, is offered by Michael Gough, a father who is leading the fight to enact virtual visitation legislation. Michael successfully lobbied for the Utah law after his ex-wife and daughter moved to Wisconsin.