PLM Family Law

How can you manage social media during divorce?

Social media is something you likely use and enjoy every day. You may use different social media sites to keep up with friends, play games, receive news updates, communicate with long-distance family members and more.

Social media is part of normal daily life for many and the Pew Research Center states that approximately 7 out of 10 people in the U.S. use social media in some form. While social media may be a positive aspect of your life, you should be careful about how you use these sites during the divorce process.

Review your privacy settings

After you decide to get divorced, change all the passwords on your social media accounts. You should also review your privacy settings to ensure that no one can add information or pictures to your profiles without your permission.

Vent offline

As you work on your divorce, you may feel tempted to vent your frustrations about the situation or your former spouse online. However, you should refrain from doing this and instead, talk to a friend, family member or counselor about your difficulties.

Watch what you post

Any information that ends up on your social media profiles could potentially show up during divorce proceedings. Protect your interests by watching what kind of articles you share, pictures you post and information you share online during your divorce.

If you have concerns about how social media could affect your divorce, it may be beneficial to step away from it for a little while. Once you finalize your divorce and life starts going back to normal, you may consider returning to social media.