How Social Media May Impact Your Divorce

The use of social media and evidence from other apps has made the divorce process much more challenging.

Nearly every single person has a smartphone. On these phones, many people have downloaded social media apps such as Facebook or Twitter. These platforms allow individuals to share their thoughts or other important information with their friends or relatives at the same time.

Unfortunately, for some people, these phones and apps are keeping a record of every single thing that they do during the day. Locations can be tracked using GPS data, and apps can be examined to determine who the person was talking with at nearly any point in time.

This is extremely problematic for those who are going through a divorce. With all this information readily available, their spouses have the opportunity to review this data to determine exactly what is happening. If one of the spouses is having an affair, it will be very easy to piece together from the information on the phones.

Much of this data, as well as texts and postings from social media accounts, have made their way into divorce proceedings. A recent study by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers asked attorneys if there has been an increase in the amount of this information used in divorces. Over 90 percent of the attorneys surveyed stated that they have seen more of this data entered into evidence.

Many couples having marital problems rely upon their friends when they are experiencing these issues. They may make postings to social media accounts that they believe are harmless, but, in the end, have a major impact upon their divorce. They need to realize that anything that they say could potentially be evidence. They may wish to deactivate their accounts or change privacy settings while this process is ongoing, to limit the amount of information that may be available to the other side.

In many divorces, the process will become extremely emotional. The other side may try to punish a soon-to-be ex-spouse by airing their dirty laundry in public. Social media sites may become places where this information is shared with others, and this may make the situation much worse emotionally very everyone involved.

An experienced family law attorney will be able to provide you with detailed information concerning the divorce process. This will allow you to gain an understanding of the issues that will arise in your divorce, and help you better prepare for what may happen in your case.