Can social media use impact my divorce?

On Behalf of | Mar 12, 2020 | Divorce |

Social media has become the way we keep everyone updated on our lives and what we’re doing. Facebook or Twitter often are the place where we vent when we have a bad day, or we document on Instagram when we finally took that dream vacation. However, when you are facing divorce, you may not realize how important it is to be careful about what you post on social media.

Social media used as court evidence

According to the National Law Review, 81% of attorneys find social networking evidence worth presenting in court. Anything you post on social media is public record and your ex’s attorney can present it to the judge in your divorce case. This includes the following:

  • any nasty comments you made about your spouse, your child custody battle and the divorce
  • photos of you drinking heavily on a night out when you want sole custody of your kids
  • photos of the new car your bought to mend from your breakup

Social media tips during divorce

To avoid having embarrassing comments or photos affect your divorce case, you can follow these social media tips during divorce:

  1. Disengage completely and delete social media apps from your phone. You can decide to stay off all forms of social media and journal your feelings instead.
  2. If that’s too difficult, avoid making any comments about your spouse, the custody battle or the divorce on social media.
  3. Avoid posting any photos. The saying a photo is worth a thousand words completely applies here. Photos can be used against you to show you are an unfit parent or you have more financial resources or assets than you are claiming to in the divorce.
  4. Realize that you and your spouse still most likely have many shared friends, so what you post likely will get back to your spouse. Defriending them or blocking them from seeing your posts doesn’t mean they won’t find out what you post.
  5. Come to an agreement with your ex about what you’ll post on social media about your children. More and more, parents want to limit their children’s presence online and protect their privacy. This is something you may want to consider discussing during your divorce and coming to an agreement about.

Going through a divorce is difficult – financially and emotionally. You most likely will need support during the process. Instead of using social media to get that, arrange coffee and dinner dates with close, supportive friends or see a counselor to work through your emotions. These are better ways to help you move forward and are less likely to affect your divorce proceedings.

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