How Social Media Can Destroy Your Custody Case
To some, social media is a way of expression, a way to vent about the world’s frustrations, and a way to connect with old friends and family. Some people cannot resist the urge to post daily pictures about everything from their dinner plate, to new car purchases and fun times with friends.
This post is not to deter you from using social media. However, it is written to caution you against the dangers that may be lurking.
If you are ever embroiled in a child custody dispute, your posts can and most likely will be used against you in court at some point.
When parents come to court, they are on equal footing but, this equality can quickly be diminished by Facebook pictures of you and your friends partying it up at the beach or, negative comments about your ex.
When posting on social media you should avoid the following:
Negative statements about your ex. This shows that you are unable to “co-parent” with your ex and whether your ex is the cause or not, your public comments does not help your relationship.
Referencing alcohol or drug use, including pictures or comments about your “girls night out.” This may be your only outing of the year and may only be innocent adult fun however, in a custody case, it only adds fuel to fire if your ex is portraying you as the irresponsible parent.
Posting provocative pictures of yourself to social media or dating websites. Obviously, nude pictures are a no-no but, even “sexy-like” pictures can be used to infer negative things about you in court.
Making comments about an active court case or bashing the judge who made a decision in favor of the other party. In custody cases, you may run into the same judge again! Even if you do not, public comments of this nature show you have a blatant disrespect for our court system.
Posting pictures of large purchases if child support is at issue. You may really not have funds to make ends meet. But, if you post pictures about car purchases or a nice vacation, your ex may use this to diminish the reality of your financial situation.
Posting about your weekend plans when you were supposed to be with your children. This is so obvious that an explanation is not even needed.
In sum, if you are a social media fanatic, or even an occasional poster, please remember to be careful with what you post. Your ex is watching you!
