Social media is all around us, and because divorces are so emotional, it’s easy to say the wrong thing on Twitter or Facebook, and get yourself in trouble. Remember that your ex, friends and family can see your social media profiles, and if you choose to have your profile public, other people will be able to see everything that you post as well.
There are right and wrong ways to use social media in a divorce.
Let’s take a look at six ways that you’ll be able to use social media during divorce.
1. Avoid All Divorce Talk
It is so tempting to scream at your ex while getting a divorce, but people are starting to have social media clauses placed inside of their divorce agreements. Instead, you want to remain mute on the matter when using social media.
Feelings of anger and sadness may make you say the wrong thing online.
If your ex does happen to find any of these messages or posts, they may be able to use this against you. This is especially true when it comes to questionable judgment, so make sure that you do not say or do anything wrong on social media during a divorce.
2. Don’t Use Your Children as A Weapon
Following the first step, you never want to use your children as a weapon online. Instead, you want to keep the children out of it completely. This means: avoiding talking bad about your ex online, not mentioning how he or she is not paying child support, or claiming that you will win custody of your children because your ex did “XYZ”.
3. Stay Positive On Social Media
Social media is often a place to vent your anger, but you want to stay positive if you’re getting a divorce. If your social media profile comes into question during your divorce, it’s better for someone to see how positive you were rather than malicious.
This can help greatly with child custody, and shows that you are taking your divorce seriously.
4. Use Social Media to Stay in Contact
Far too often, it’s difficult for couples to stay civil and keep in touch over the phone. When you’re getting a divorce, especially when it’s not amicable, it may be better to discuss things with your ex on social media.
That’s not to say that you should go and post something on his or her Facebook wall, but rather try messaging him or her, and discussing issues.
It is a lot easier and less frightening to discuss these matters on social media. While I do recommend going to counseling or talking with your lawyer together, social media may help you break the ice and start talking to your ex about pertinent issues.
5. Use Social Media for Evidence
While it is unfortunate, people have a tendency to say whatever they feel online for the world to see. If your ex has not been doing something properly, you may use social media against him or her as a form of proof.
6. Use Social Media to Update the World About Your Divorce
If you find that it is too hard to discuss your divorce in front of others, you can let the world know by simply changing your Facebook status. A lot of people are starting to use social media to update the world about their divorce, but remember that you want to ensure that you do not say anything bad about the other person or say anything that may be used against you during the divorce.
The Micklin Law Group, LLC is a New Jersey law firm focusing on family law. Attorney Brad Micklin was recently named to The National Advocates list of Top 100 attorneys from each state.To set up a consultation, call 973-562-0100.
