Should I Change How I Act on Social Media During Divorce?

 Posted on September 12, 2023 in Divorce

Social media networks have become an important part of life. People use them to connect with friends, share personal milestones, network professionally, date, collaborate, and countless other reasons. But whatever you post online is out there for all the world to see. Your social media posts could impact your divorce. A DuPage County, IL attorney can explain how, and whether there is anything you should be doing differently.

How Can Social Media Usage Affect Divorce?

In a divorce proceeding, lawyers may try to get the settlement their clients want by trying to show the other spouse as unfit to care for their children or wealthy enough not to need alimony. Before social media was a popular tool, it was much harder to get evidence of such claims. Now that it is common to post pictures and comments on several social media platforms, people have access to so much personal information about others. 

Even if you are very careful about what you post, you could still be at risk:

• One spouse can claim that they are going through financial hardships in an attempt to get higher child support or alimony payments, or to avoid paying these. If their pictures on social media show them living a life of luxury, their plan will not work. 

• One spouse could be tagged in someone else’s pictures of a night out, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and this could be used to depict them as irresponsible and unfit to raise their children.

• If a child got harmed when they were supposed to be in their parent’s care, but that parent was at a concert at that time the. The person standing next to them could post a video online showing them there, which could be used to prove the parent’s negligence.

Even if you have strict privacy settings in place, your friends on social media platforms can still see what you are posting. A divorce lawyer might be able to access your posts through your friends on those platforms, and possibly use someone’s pictures or posts to convince the court that this person is lying about something or is unable to provide the children with a safe and caring home.

What Should I Do About Social Media During Divorce?

Limit your online presence as much as possible. While your divorce or custody case is ongoing, you should try to stay away from social networks. You do not want anything found in your online profile to end in negative results for your case.

You can adjust the privacy settings on your profiles so that your posts and pictures are only seen by people you select, but there are still many ways that people you are not connected to can access them.

If you decide to keep using social media, our advice is to proceed with caution. Do not discuss your case online, do not let anything be posted about you that could give a negative impression, and be very particular about what personal information is shared.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Wheaton, IL Divorce Attorney

If you are considering divorce and want to make sure you are protecting yourself and your information even before it starts, a DuPage County, IL divorce lawyer at Goostree Law Group can provide you with helpful guidance. Call 630-364-4046 today.