How to handle social media during divorce

Many Oklahoma residents use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other forms of social media on a regular basis. However, for those who are considering or already going through a divorce, social media can present special problems.

First of all, social media can impact relationships long before divorce proceedings begin. A Boston University study reviewed the correlation between Facebook use and divorce rates and found that increases in social media use led to decreases in marriage quality for couples living in all 50 states. While the study stopped short of claiming social media causes divorce, it did find that social media use and divorce share a link. To avoid some of the marital problems associated with social media use, experts say that people should avoid things like criticizing their partners or talking about relationship problems online.

For people who are considering a divorce, experts say it may be best to be even more careful with social media posts. As always, people shouldn’t say negative things about their partners, but they may also want to look through old posts for anything unsavory that could come up during divorce proceedings. It might also be prudent for people to cull their friends list of drama seekers or those who are likely to report back their spouse. Finally, those who are already going through a divorce might need to take all the above advice and go a bit further by severely limiting their friends list, setting strict privacy settings and minimizing their overall social media presence. This can reduce the chances of social media posts being used against them in court.

Oklahoma residents facing the end of their marriage could seek assistance from a family law attorney. The attorney could offer advice on handling social media during the divorce and work to negotiate favorable agreements on the applicable legal issues.