Nowadays, more people have a social media account than do not. For many, it’s a routine part of daily life. It can be used to send private messages, follow the news, share thoughts and feelings and much more.
While most social media platforms allow users to set high privacy settings, this does not guarantee privacy. During custody proceedings or any legal case, this can present an issue. Here’s why:
A reflection of your parenting ability
Social media posts are all about interpretation. Often, context is not taken into consideration, or it can be completely made up and blown out of proportion. For example, you may only go out for drinks occasionally. On one of these rare occasions, you shared a photo in a club with your friends. On the surface, this is completely innocent. Taken out of context, however, it can be twisted to try and show that you are an irresponsible parent. A representative may argue in court that this photo shows you have a “party lifestyle”, and that this could negatively impact your child.
Escalating conflict
While custody cases can be contentious, it is generally better to try and reduce the amount of conflict between parents. Other than in extreme circumstances, the court is going to want both parents to play an active role in the child’s life anyway.
Even a single social media post such as, “had a tough day in court today”, has the potential to escalate conflict. If someone tells the other parent about this, they may take it as a personal attack. Conflict has the potential to drag out custody cases longer than is necessary.
The safest option is to stop posting on social media during a custody case. At the very least, every post should be carefully thought through. Having legal guidance behind you will help ensure that you take all of the appropriate steps.
