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Social Media Habits to Avoid During Divorce Proceedings in New Jersey

There are many people who use their social media as a way to chronical their lives for family and friends to see. This can include anything from day to day events or important moments and celebrations in life. While these life events can be worth sharing with others, there are other moments of your life that are better left private not on social media. This can include any details of your divorce. It is important to know that sharing this information or speaking out about your soon to be ex-spouse can impact a divorce. 

How Can My Social Media Affect My Divorce?

Social media is a large part of people’s lives in this day and age. While this can be fun for people, it can also negatively affect their lives in certain situations. In the event that one spouse shares certain information regarding their significant other on social media during a divorce, it can potentially damage the outcome of the proceedings. Recent reports on this topic show the following:

  • 81% of all divorce attorneys found social networking information that was later presented in court as evidence
  • 66% of divorce lawyers use Facebook as a primary evidence source
  • ⅓ of divorce actions begin with affairs that happen online

Bad Social Media Habits to Avoid 

During a divorce, it is best to simply just not use social media at all. This is because even seemingly innocent content may pose its own consequences. Not posting ensures that there is no harmful content that can potentially impact your divorce. However, if you wish to still use social media, there are certain things you should avoid to protect your case. This can include but is not limited to the following:

  • Speaking badly about your spouse or ex-spouse online. While it can seem harmless to simply make complaints online, any false comments, threats, or criticisms can lead to harmful results in a divorce.
  • Deleting social media activity. While many people believe deleting posts of social media disappears forever, this is not the case. It is impossible to permanently delete your social media activity, and incriminating posts can still be found to be used in court. Deleting them can be seen as an inference of guilt and may be held against you.
  • Posting pictures or mentioning alcohol and/or drug use. Something as casual as sharing a beer or a glass of wine with a friend at a party can be taken out of context. This is often used in court cases to prove a spouse as an unfit parent. 
  • Discussing new relationships. Any new romantic relationships during a divorce should be kept private until the proceedings are final. This is because in some cases, the evidence may be used as proof of an affair.
  • Letting friends post about your life. It is important to know that disparaging posts about your ex-spouse or information about your life posted by friends can damage your case as well. 
  • Sharing your location. It can be fun to check-in your location at a place you are attending such as an event or restaurant. However, it can be damaging to a case to see your location in bars, clubs, casinos, etc.

Contact our Firm

If you need an experienced legal team to guide you through your divorce, contact Townsend, Tomaio & Newmark L.L.C today.