The use of social media during divorce and family law proceedings is controversial. Legal experts often recommend that their family law clients stop using social media until their case is concluded. All evidence, regardless of its source, can be used in family law cases, including social media posts.
Social media and divorce
Social media has become one of the technological trends of the 21st-century. The statistics show social media use can directly lead to divorce proceedings. A breakdown in real-life relations can follow a focus on social media friends and relationships.
Social media as evidence
The use of social media in divorce cases has become commonplace in the last decade. Evidence from social media posts and messages has been used to prove infidelity by a spouse. If a lawyer proves the social media use backs up their client’s claims they will be admitted into evidence. Social media has been used to prove the fitness of a parent, with images of alcohol and drug use included in evidence to prove their fitness.
The rules of social media use
During litigation, your lawyer will provide you with a set of guidelines for proper social media use. The guidelines include not disparaging your former partner online. Private information about proceedings should never be shared online. Making comments about a court ruling online is never recommended by professional legal experts.
Don not rely on privacy settings
Blocking your former spouse from seeing your posts is not enough recourse against future problems. A former spouse can use a friend’s account or create a new account to access your information and social media posts.
Following the recommendations of an attorney regarding social media use during a divorce will help protect you from added problems.