Human beings seem to have an innate need to share their experiences with each other — and social media provides plenty of opportunities to do just that. Unfortunately, sharing too much on social media during your divorce can end up damaging your case when it comes to issues like custody, support and more.
If you’re going through a divorce, here are some important things to keep in mind about your use of social media:
Anything you put online is fair game in court.
Just about any communication you make over the internet may ultimately find its way to a courtroom. Even emails and texts have been subpoenaed. If your social media accounts are public, you may want to scale back your posts and keep anything personal off your pages — even photos. You may even want to consider taking a “social media vacation” for a while.
You need to consider how everything looks or sounds to a judge.
You (and everyone who knows you) may realize that those funny memes you post about the frustrations of parenting are merely sarcastic jokes or hyperbole — but do you really want to try to explain that in court to a judge? Probably not.
Similarly, you have to be conscious of how everything might look to jaded eyes. The photos of you enjoying a vacation might seem harmless enough — until your spouse says that it’s proof that you have more income than you’re letting on. Even if it isn’t true, you don’t want to have that extra battle.
Even the timing of your posts can be suspect. If you’re posting online when you’re supposed to be taking care of the kids, for example, that might be considered evidence that you’re not really as focused on parenting as you should be.
Don’t let social media complicate your life unnecessarily when you’re going through a divorce. Discuss the situation early with your attorney and follow their recommendations.
