Can social media affect my divorce?

It’s no secret that social media posts and comments can become spiteful and vindictive quickly. That’s part of the reason you should be very careful about your social media use during your divorce. You never know how what you post will viewed by someone else or if your soon-to-be ex and his lawyer will find something worth sharing in court.

In fact, 81% of attorneys find social networking evidence worth presenting in court, according to the National Law Review. This can include anything from snarky Facebook comments you make about your ex, read before a judge during your child custody hearing, or Instagram photos of your luxury vacation, used show you have a better financial situation than you claim to.

Social media don’ts during divorce

To avoid this, you can follow these social media tips during divorce:

• Don’t badmouth your spouse on social media.
• Don’t discuss anything about the divorce on social media.
• Don’t post any photos you wouldn’t want a judge to see.
• Don’t post photos of any vacations or large purchases, especially if you are seeking spousal support.
• Don’t join a dating app.
• Avoid changing your marital status to divorced until after the divorce is final.

Realize that even if you unfriend your spouse, or block them, what you post most likely will get back to them. Shared friends, family and acquaintances can screenshot whatever you post and can share that with your ex.

Limiting social media during divorce

The easiest way to avoid having social media use affect your divorce is to disengage from it as much as possible. You can delete your Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat apps from your phone to help you stay off social media completely for a while. You can limit yourself to only using social media a few times a week and avoid posting anything all together.

Social media after divorce

If you and your spouse share children, you still need to take the high road on social media after divorce. You don’t want to post negative comments about your ex and that become part of a future custody hearing or somehow get back to your children.

You and your spouse also may want to come to an agreement about what you will and won’t post about your children going forward.

You want to keep your relationship with your ex civil – both during and after divorce. If you need to vent your emotions about your ex or divorce, try journaling or seek the help of a counselor. Both are more beneficial ways to move forward after a divorce.