June 2025 Global Roundup

Family related news included a look at both recent divorce statistics and a fairly new means of support for couples who are splitting. Parenting was also in the news highlighting reasons behind the decline in birthrates, nationally and internationally, and tips on how to help children successfully deal with social media. Finally, a deep dive into how a couple’s text messages are handled in the courtroom.

Divorcing? There’s a Coach for That 

Brianna Holt, The New York Times, May 25, 2025

Divorce coaches support their clients through breakups—offering emotional support, logistical help and strategies for reducing stress and making clearheaded decisions. However, unlike therapy or counseling, divorce coaching is largely unregulated, allowing people to market themselves as a divorce coach without formal training or certification.

Divorce Increases Children's Risk of Death by 55%, Study Reveals

Jack Beresford, Newsweek, June 3, 2025

The research paper, authored by professor Nolan Pope of the University of Maryland, Andrew C. Johnston at the University of California, Merced and Maggie R. Jones of the U.S. Census Bureau, found that American children whose parents divorce while they are still in infancy face a variety of marked disadvantages through life as a result. According to the findings much of this was attributed to the disruption divorce causes to the family household. Pope added: “There are many additional dimensions of divorce—particularly the impact on the lives and happiness of the parents—that our study is unable to address, which are also important when making decisions about divorce."

How Jurors and Judges Weigh Texts Vs.Testimony

Patricia Fersch, Forbes, June 12, 2025

When a text message is being used to establish or deny credibility of a witness, the state of mind of the witness at the time the text was sent is highly relevant in a legal context. If the texter is under the control of the receiver of the text, the texter can be shown as trying to please the text recipient rather than expressing her true feelings about the content of the text.

A Bold Idea to Raise the Birthrate: Make Parenting Less Torturous

Anna Louie Sussman, The New York Times, June 15, 2025

An overwhelming majority of American women say they want paid family and medical leave. The author asserts that a suite of proposals that include affordable child care, universal health care and paid family leave would most likely prompt a reaction which would include: relief, security and higher birth rates.

What I Wish Parents Knew About Social Media

Laura Edelson, Edited by Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, June 16, 2025

Parents can give their kids their best chance to develop a healthy relationship with social media if they stay engaged, curious, and consistent. Understanding the design of the systems, and talking with your child about them, is one of the most powerful tools you have to keep them safe and supported online.