Will social media affect your divorce?

Social media is an element of many people’s everyday lives, especially as more of us use these sites to connect with friends and family. However, just as your posts can have a significant impact on your friendships and your marriage, the posts you make on social media could influence the outcome of your divorce.

Your spouse’s attorney may share your posts in court.

Social media is more commonly referenced in divorce cases than you may believe. Stastistics indicate that as many as 81% of attorneys find evidence in social media posts that they consider worth presenting in court, and around two-thirds of divorce cases use Facebook as a source of evidence.

Be careful what photographs make it to social media.

The court determines your parenting arrangement based on your child’s best interest. The court may consider the photos of you that appear online as a part of this process, and photographs of a night at the bar with friends could be seen as evidence that you are not a responsible parent.

You might be frustrated, but don’t complain about your spouse.

Many people use social media to talk about their lives, but any complaints that you make about your spouse could come up in court. The judge may consider any disparaging posts that you have made when determining child custody or awarding support payments.

Because of these risks, many people choose to limit their social media use during a divorce and review old posts to ensure that they do not portray those people in a negative light. Not only does this limit the risk that your posts pose to your divorce proceedings, but it also allows you to focus on creating a legal strategy that protects your family and your rights.