In recent years social media has become a necessary part of majority individuals across the globe. It starts from the basic daily routine of sharing some posts about our everyday life to keeping connected with our friends and families on the most popular social media platforms.
When it comes to divorce, social media is one of the most important factors that can have a high influence on the individual’s personal and family life. By seeking the assistance of a qualified Stuart divorce attorney, you are better prepared to deal with challenges that come with using social networks while going through the process of divorce.
Evidence and Documentation
As earlier noted, social media has detrimental effects on divorce, and one of them is the presentation of evidence and documentation. statistical data of the profiles; posts ; the comments and the messages sent and received; all the pictures and even the private messages can be used in cases taken to court. While speaking to one of our divorce lawyers, we can discuss how even the most harmless posts on social media sites can be given a negative connotation.
For example:
- **Financial Discrepancies**: Any posts that display pensions of luxurious holidays or purchasing costly items oppose assertion of financial woes or demand of alimony from the spouse.
- **Parental Fitness**: Any form of picture or comment that portrays reckless behavior like taking alcohol in large amounts or performing your parental responsibilities poorly can affect how the judge awards the custody of your children.
- **Infidelity**: Discovery of infidelity in a case being heard in the court of law via social media platforms can determine the decision the court makes over division of property and alimony.
Privacy Settings and Security
Although the ‘friends only’ option of posting is helpful in minimizing the reach of the post to your friends for some time or till you change the settings again, it’s not the perfect solution. Privacy controls will not prevent subpoenas from being issued for social media profiles, which will be revealed to a court regardless of privacy settings. Consequently, it is important to ensure that you avoid posting sensitive information on social media accounts when undergoing the process of divorce. A divorce lawyer can explain to that client how he or she can work to mitigate liability on his own social media accounts.
Communication and Conduct
Even the way one carries out oneself on social networking sites or handles their accounts plays a role in divorce. The internet users may harm you and your spouse by posting negative
posts such as those that are aimed at the spouse, the divorce, or the judge.
A divorce lawyer will advise you to avoid:
Public Arguments: Arguments that involve two individuals especially when the two are divorcing should be avoided by refraining from escalating the battles on social media.
Negative Comments: It has been found that one can have their spouse served and anything that is posted in writing can be considered as evidence in court and may have implications with regards to custody of children and support payments.
Incriminating Photos: Some photos that portray bad things such as compromising positions when appearing before court may ruin one’s credibility and character in the eyes of the law.
Impact on Children:
It also has an impact on the feelings of the children during the divorce. It is important to be careful about what you post as your posts, for instance, may shape the personality of your children.
A divorce attorney will stress the importance of:
Protecting Your Children’s Privacy: Do not share personal information, pictures of the children that might expose you or are not in the best interest of their well-being.
Avoiding Negative Discussions: Do not expose the matter to the social media platforms and ensure that your children do not see or hear anything that is related to the divorce.
Social networks are vast platforms that afford people an opportunity to meet and interact in a social learning setting. For couples that are going through a divorce, the following are some of the best practices in the use of social media accounts.
Think Before You Post: Think for a while about how each post might be construed and if that would be damaging to you as pieces of evidence.
Limit Your Activity: Limit your participation in social networks and change your personal profile settings during your divorce proceedings.
Consult Your Attorney: Consult with a Stuart divorce lawyer to come up with proper methods of handling social media to avoid dangerous self-incrimination and ensure the case’s success.
Conclusion:
Thus, the outbreak of social media has introduced its impact in each and every area of the divorce proceeding including through the provision of evidence, documentation, assessment of parent fitness, and financial claims.
This way you can reduce your chances of exposing your wealth to the other spouse’s eyes and work hand in hand with the best Stuart divorce attorney to achieve your objectives better. Just make sure that creating and sharing something online that may take a lifetime has a positive impact and that’s why it is very important to use social networks properly during these difficult days.
