Family, Law and Technology: An interdisciplinary workshop

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Family life involves complex interactions which have been affected by new technology, including the way relationships are formed, conducted and concluded. Technology is playing an increasingly visible role - both positive and negative - in different aspects of the family lifecycle, with implications for the regulation of private and family life. In relation to family breakdown, for example, policymakers see new technology as a means through which formal dispute resolution processes can be streamlined and improved, benefiting users, judges and the courts. Recent experience of online processes during the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online and digital tools for dispute resolution. It is almost certainly only a matter of time before decision-making based on AI and Machine Learning becomes a reality in the field of family justice, as it already has in less discretionary and less ’human-centred’ areas of law. This will raise technological, ethical and legal questions which are likely to form the basis of future research. Technology has also become a more prominent means of facilitating some of the contact between children and parents in separated families.

This two day workshop aims to bring together people interested in identifying and discussing research questions which lie at the interface of Family, Law and Technology, and reflecting on the different interdisciplinary research methods needed to address them. It is hoped that the event will underpin future funding and publication collaborations.

On the first day of the workshop, 3 key speakers will engage with the challenges and opportunities the digital future presents to families and family regulation, with the aim of provoking discussion and debate. The second day, will be a ‘sandpit-style’ workshop, where participants will collaborate to develop research themes and opportunities around the topic.

Download programme below.