When you’re getting ready for a child custody battle, making sure to present yourself in the best light possible and showing your commitment to your child’s well-being is vital. Your ex is looking for anything that will prove that you cannot provide a stable relationship with your child. And as social media continues to grow, it poses risks to the healthy parent-child relationship you want to present to the court.
The tricky part is that it’s not only your social media that you need to worry about. Posts on social media from friends, family or even your child can be detrimental to your custody case. Keep reading to learn how social media can affect your child custody battle.
Social Media Posts to Avoid
Social media is a big part of life. If you can’t avoid social media, there are some things you should avoid posting during your custody case.
- Venting About the Case —Posting anything negative that has to do with your custody case, the judge, your ex, or even your attorney can easily make it back to the judge, which would not be good for your case.
- Partying, Drinking, or Using Drugs — These posts make you look irresponsible. It’s not likely that a judge will ignore these types of posts. Make sure to drink responsibly, avoid drug use, and no partying posts.
- Inaccurate Impressions of Finances — Each parent’s income is used to determine how much child support should be awarded. If you post about extravagant vacations or expensive new purchases, you could end up having to pay more child support or get less child support than you are entitled to.
- Online Dating — A form of social media often overlooked is dating websites. While you may be separated, you are still legally married. If you decide to make a dating profile before your divorce is final, avoid stating that you are single. Preferably, wait until your divorce is final and your custody arrangement is settled before you start dating or joining online dating sites.
- Your Child Being Cared for by Others — There is a big difference between having an understanding that you will have to leave your child in the care of someone else while you work or fulfill another obligation during visitation and leaving your child with someone so you can go out to the bar on the weekends.
- Activities the Other Parent Would Object To — If you know that your ex will have an ethical or moral issue with an activity or if it poses a safety risk to your child, posting this activity anyhow will show a blatant disregard for them as a parent.
- Your Child’s Social Media — If your child is old enough to have their own social media accounts, it’s essential to monitor their accounts carefully. Posts about finances, expensive gifts they are receiving, or talking about a parent’s new boyfriend or girlfriend can affect your case the same as if it were posted on your own account.
Things to Remember
The safest thing to do is to avoid social media altogether. However, if you continue to use social media, there are some important things to remember.
- Just because you have set privacy settings doesn’t mean that your privacy is guaranteed. If your ex, friends, or even their attorney can access your account, they can take screenshots of the content and use that against you in your child custody case.
- Even if you delete a post, that doesn’t mean it’s gone. As soon as you hit “Post,” anyone can take a screenshot of that post which can come back to hurt you. And if you delete a post, it can give the impression that you’re trying to hide something. Use your instincts. If you feel any doubt about posting something, don’t post it!
- Social media posts are time-stamped. If you post continuously when you’re supposed to be spending time with your children, that can negatively impact your case.
- Before posting anything on social media, you should take an extra couple of minutes to think about the repercussions of the post. Is there anything out there important enough to risk losing custody of your child for? If you answered no, maybe it’s best to err on the side of caution and avoid social media until your case is settled.
Let Attorney Hunter Fowler Walk You Through the Legal Process
Dealing with the stress and emotions that are part of the divorce and child custody process can be extremely difficult. Making sure that you take time out for yourself and express your emotions in a healthy way is vital. Properly managing your image publicly and privately and working with the proper legal counsel can help your position in your custody case.
Attorney Hunter Fowler knows that parents want what’s best for their children. That’s why your family’s needs are a priority when working with Hunter. He will help you understand the laws surrounding child custody in Tennessee and how they pertain to your family’s situation.
You deserve an attorney who genuinely cares about you. Contact Attorney Hunter Fowler today.