Going through a divorce is difficult, financially and emotionally. More than likely, you’ll want to vent at some point about the frustrations and emotions you are dealing with. And you may not even think twice before posting about your problems on social media. However, that isn’t a good idea when it comes to divorce.
More and more, divorce attorneys are using social media posts as evidence in court. In fact, the National Law Review reports that more than 80% of attorneys find social media evidence worth presenting in court. This evidence can range from nasty posts disparaging your ex on Facebook that later become part of a custody hearing to Instagram photos from your recent post-breakup vacation, where it looks like you spent a lot of money enjoying a deluxe tropical resort.
So, when it comes to social media and divorce, it’s always better to play it safe. Here are five tips to do that:
- Disable your social media accounts until your divorce is over. It’s better to avoid social media entirely because you never know how someone else will interpret a post.
- If you can’t do that, don’t post anything about your ex, your divorce process or your child custody situation. Also, make sure to check your privacy settings, so that only your accepted friends can see what you post.
- Don’t post photos during your divorce. The saying that a photo is worth 1,000 words applies here. Any photo of you partying up on a night on the town could be used to make you look like an irresponsible parent in a custody hearing. Those photos of your luxury vacation or new car can be used to try to prove you have more money than you are claiming to, and thus you don’t need the support you are asking for.
- Don’t assume what you post won’t get back to your ex. You likely share friends with you ex. So even if you have blocked your ex on your social media, you shouldn’t assume that someone you both know won’t relay that information to your ex in some fashion.
- Don’t join a dating app or post anything about a new girlfriend or boyfriend until after your divorce is finalized. You don’t want your activity on a dating app or social media posts about your dating life to end up becoming part of why your spouse is seeking more custody time with your kids.
