The mobile-led, social media phenomenon has meant that it has never been easier to reach out to people, a temptation that can be a destabilising distraction for some marriages.(File Photo)
"Have you divorced today?" Although this is just a common joke between Chinese people in recent days, the divorce rate in China has been steadily rising since 2004, and the mass adoption of social media across China is responsible for that.
Statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in early 2015 showed that 3.1 million couples divorced in 2013, or 23.4 per cent of the population, compared to 4.7 per cent in 1979. The rate was close to or over 30 percent in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and other big cities in 2013.
Banyuetan, a Chinese magazine, published their research on couples, and claimed that the presence of social media has not brought couples closer. In some cases, it has made matters worse by bringing the relationship to an end.
Chen Yiyun, the deputy of Expert Committee on Marriage and Family Research, told the magazine that Chinese social media apps, such as WeChat and Momo, equipped with positioning function have become a preferred tool for picking up girls.
According to data from Yihunyin.com, a website sponsored by China Marital Family Work Association, the number of mistresses, or "Little Thirds" as they're known in China, who are found on WeChat or Momo has increased 20 per cent in the past few years.
This mobile-led, social media phenomenon has meant that it has never been easier to reach out to people, a temptation that can be a destabilizing distraction for some marriages and fatal for others, said the report.
Yu Kun, who practiced psychological counseling, said that more than 50 percents of the extramarital affairs are related to the social networks based on the actual cases he once dealt with.
Liu, a mother to a seven-year-old daughter as well as a massage therapist in her mid 20s, said she often felt "bored to tears" and that idle chat with random people she encountered on Momo kept her entertained. She described exchanging messages with men in the vicinity, and sharing "nice photos", which she preferred to keep secret from her husband.
"I would never use social media in front of my husband because it would cause too many arguments," Liu told the magazine.
Some experts have posited different explanation for the rising divorce rate.
Li Hongxiang, a professor of law in Jinlin University, said that Chinese people have stopped thinking of marriage as "until death do us part" in recent years. A weakening idea of marriage has led to more divorces.
Others attribute it to people's changing expectations. Some respondents cited low EQ, or sexual incompatibly as possible grounds for divorce.
Liu Liping, a psychological consultant in Beijing, said based on his experience 40 per cent of divorces are now caused by extramarital sex.
Liu Ning, researcher from Shanxi, said the large number of migrant workers who leave their homes to work in China's big cities, often experience a change in attitude, or find the strains of maintaining a long-term relationship too much, turning to mistresses for solace.
