Nowadays, it seems there really is an app for everything. There are apps for anything from stress relief to budgeting, and now even parenting.
There are several apps dedicated to helping parents deal with tough situations, including co-parenting after divorce. However, a new app that adds artificial intelligence (AI) into the equation could be a turning point in how these apps help co-parents who choose to use them.
App provides many resources at co-parents’ fingertips
Tech entrepreneur Jonathan Verk teamed up with a former judge and family law counselor Sherrill A. Ellsworth to create coParenter. This new app, aiming to facilitate co-parenting after divorce, provides several resources to help parents collaborate.
Some of the resources found in this app include:
- Tracking child support payments, including showing upcoming payments and providing receipts to review;
- A real-time schedule from the custody agreement that also compares each parent’s schedule and allows parents to request other times with the children;
- Easy access to mediators who can help make difficult decisions if parents disagree;
- Storage of the custody agreement terms and other relevant agreements for easy reference; and
- Tools that help parents make decisions and navigate conflicts.
Verk reports that so far, more than 20,000 people use the app, and judges across the country are even recommending the app to divorced parents.
Where does AI come in?
The coParenter app not only helps parents manage conflicts but also helps avoid them altogether. For example, the app uses AI to review messages co-parents send each other, and it will send a pop-up warning if it detects offensive or angry language and even swear words in a message.
This could help co-parents get into the habit of maintaining civil and productive contact after divorce.
How do you know if an app will help you?
As we have discussed many times before on this blog, co-parenting after divorce is often a challenge. And, unfortunately, no one piece of advice or approach will work for every North Carolina family.
Whether or not an app will effectively facilitate co-parenting generally depends on a few factors, including:
- How well an app meets the family’s needs; and
- If both parents commit to using the app regularly, including paying expenses related to it.
Supportive resources can be incredibly helpful for parents, especially when they are learning how to navigate co-parenting right after their divorce. However, parents should carefully consider their needs and their options before choosing what resources they wish to use as they move forward.