If you are a frequent user of social media, you may think nothing of continuing to use it during your divorce. That could mean posting about how things are going, or scanning your soon-to-be ex-spouse’s profile to see what they are saying and doing.
Regardless of your motives, it is probably best to stay off social media during your divorce. Here is why:
You could make it emotionally worse for yourself
Divorcing means you should no longer focus on what your spouse is up to. Once the divorce is done, they will be free to do what they like with their life, just as you will be free to do what you want. It’s best to start making a mental break from your spouse as soon as possible. You need to learn not to care if they are seeing someone else, or whether they are having fun or not. Perusing their social media posts can make it harder to break that emotional attachment.
You could disadvantage yourself in the divorce
The things you post could get you into trouble. Let’s say you see your spouse posting about going out on a date with someone, and you feel compelled to leave a snarky comment. If you make this a habit, your spouse could show your comments to the divorce judge to try and convince them that you are unwilling to try and make co-parenting easy.
Posting about what you are up to could also prejudice your case. Let’s say it is you posting about going on a date, and your spouse discovers your post. They might use it to try and persuade a judge that you are squandering marital assets on your new flame or can afford to pay more support than you say.
A social media break is best during a divorce. Use the free time to focus on processing the divorce as efficiently as possible and planning for your new life ahead.