Social Media and Child Custody – The Digital Divide
In this digital age, divorce cases are getting harder to understand because of technology and social media. What we post online can have a big effect on choices about child custody. If you live in San Antonio and are getting a divorce, you should talk to a good San Antonio divorce attorney who can help you protect your rights and best interests.
Social media can be a double-edged sword in divorce.
Today, social media sites keep digital records of our lives, which can be good and bad when getting a divorce. Social media can be a way to stay in touch with family and friends, but it can also be used as proof in court cases.
In situations of child custody, courts may look at what a parent posts on social media to get a sense of their personality, way of life, and ability to give their child a safe home.
Some examples of missteps on social media.
- Sharing improper content: Sharing inappropriate or insulting content online can hurt a parent’s image and make it harder to get child custody.
- Making negative comments about the other parent or child: Criticizing the other parent or child in public can be bad for the child’s mental health and could be seen as proof of paternal separation.
- Doing risky things: Sharing pictures or videos of yourself doing risky things, like abusing drugs or driving drunk, can make people question your parenting skills and ability to look out for your child.
Digital evidence can play a role in child custody cases.
Digital proof, other than social media, can also be used to help decide who will get custody of a child. It could be text messages, emails, photos, videos, GPS data, or images from a security camera. However, this proof has to be proven to be real and important to the case before it can be used in court.
Some examples of digital evidence.
- Text messages: Parents’ text messages can show how they talk to each other, argue, or make threats that could be important to child custody.
- Emails: You can use emails as proof of cash transactions, trip plans, or conversations about child custody.
- Photos and videos: Photos and videos can be used to show where a child lives or to show that a parent is abusing drugs or not caring for them.
It is important to safeguard your child’s privacy in the digital age.
Not only can what you say on social media be used against you, but what other people say about your child can also get you in trouble with the law.
It can put your child at risk of being harmed online if you share personal details about them, like their full name, school, or hobbies outside of school. Also, it is against the law to post pictures of your child without their permission.
Some tips for navigating social media during a divorce.
- Limit your time on social media: While the split is going on, you might want to take a break from social media or be less visible online.
- Pay attention to your privacy settings: Change your privacy settings to control who can see your posts and information.
- Before you post, think: Think about how the court or the other parent might see what you post online before you do it.
- Do not post about your child: Do not post too much about your child online to protect their privacy and keep the other parent from using it against you.
- Talk to a lawyer: If you are going through a divorce, you should talk to a family law attorney. They can help you figure out how to use technology and social media during the case.
Parents can take steps to protect their own best interests and the best interests of their children by learning how social media and technology might affect child custody cases.