With a new culture built on sharing, many of us are accustomed to sharing our lives on various social media platforms that encourage us to write about our day-to-day activities or feelings, post pictures of our vacations and meals, or flaunt the successes of our lives. These platforms help us feel connected to one another in ways that were previously unavailable. However, though this might serve as a fun pastime, it can also harm you if you are in the midst of a divorce case. You might think your privacy settings keep your information protected, but nothing on the internet is ever truly private. If you are going through a divorce, anything you choose to post on social media might result in potentially severe consequences. Here are some ways in which your use of Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms might negatively affect your divorce case:
- Clues to Hidden Assets: In all likelihood, you are no longer friends with your soon-to-be ex-spouse on social media, but that does not mean you do not share any mutual friends. In fact, you might have several friends in common, some of whom might feel a sense of greater loyalty toward one party or the other. One of these mutual friends might decide to provide the information you share on social media with your ex-spouse. If you made a lavish purchase or spent the weekend with your new girlfriend while on an exotic vacation, but have also claimed that you cannot afford child support, those posts can be used against you to prove otherwise.
- Emails and Texts: Your emails, posts, and texts can all be used as evidence and might come back to haunt you in court. If a spouse lies about financial documents, this is a crime. Online activity often provides a revealing trail of evidence that can prove the contrary of any lie a spouse tells in court.
- Avoid Dating Sites: You might be ready to date, but you should still stay off dating sites if you are in the process of getting divorced. People often present a different image on dating sites than they do in real life and such discrepancies can create problems in your case.
- Child Custody: Social media platforms like Facebook allow you to tag others in photographs. If you were photographed participating in reckless or irresponsible behavior at a time when you should have been caring for your children, and the photo appears on social media, it might lead a judge to question your fitness as a parent.