Never Mix Your Divorce with Social Media: Here's Why

In today’s day and age, social media is the way to connect with friends, family members, coworkers, and people in your community. You probably get the majority of your news from social media, too. The convenience of instant connectivity to the world is too much to put aside. However, when you are divorcing, it is something you should temporarily put down.

Oversharing on Social Media

Most people use social media apps – like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – to everything on their mind. While it is harmless to talk about how you just got a delicious latte from the coffee shop on the corner, there are some posts that can be problematic while you are in a divorce.

Imagine if you are vying for child custody and the court is having trouble deciding which parent would be the best fit for primary physical custody. While this is going on, you use a free night to get some drinks with your friends at a bar to take your mind off things. They snap a picture of you holding a shot of liquor and you post it to your Facebook page. Your soon-to-be ex-spouse can show that picture to the court, misconstrue it to look like you are frequently partying, and argue that you are unfit for parenting.

To make certain you do not give your spouse any fodder to use against you in your divorce, it is best to just stay off social media as much as possible. You never know what photo, video, post, or even comment will be twisted and taken to the court to try to hurt your chances at securing a divorce decree in your favor. You may want to have a trusted friend or family member change your password to your social media accounts, only giving you the new password when your divorce ends.

Are Your Social Media Posts Confidential?

You might be asking, “If I make my social media accounts private, then my spouse has no right to access and use them.” This line of thinking certainly seems to make sense, but it is ultimately untrue. Anything you post on social media is likely to be considered public information available to anyone, even if you make your account private to non-friends. Basically, if anyone else in the world can see your post, then the court assumes anyone at all can.

Rhode Island Divorce Lawyers Making Things Easy

Are you eager to get your divorce finished so you can get back onto social media again? Come to Moyer Law, PC today. Our full-service family law firm provides personalized legal counsel to clients all around Rhode Island. Using our 25+ years of legal experience, we are confident we can steer your divorce to an amicable solution in as little time as possible.