What do you need to know about social media during divorce in Carlsbad? San Diego area couples may be interested to learn of the increasing role social media is playing in local divorce cases. People’s activities on social media may lead to marital disagreements and end up in causing divorces, as illustrated by a recent survey conducted in England.
In the survey, 2,000 married British people answered questions regarding their marriages and social media usage. One in seven reported their spouse’s social media activities had made them consider filing for divorce, while 25 percent reported they have arguments at least weekly regarding social media activities. Approximately 17 percent reported having daily fights regarding social media.
Additionally, 58 percent reported they knew the passwords of their spouse, even if their spouse didn’t know they did. Increasingly, social media conversations, messages and activities are playing prominent roles in Carlsbad divorce cases. In a recent survey conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 81 percent of the divorce attorneys who responded reported a substantial increase in the use of social media evidence in divorce cases over the previous five years. Nearly 70 percent of the attorneys also reported they had searched through Instagram, Facebook and even supposedly “secure” apps in order to find evidence to use in divorce hearings against the other spouse.
People who are facing the end of their marriage may do well to limit their social media activities both prior to filing and while their divorce cases are pending. The issues of social media and divorce in California are quite complex and avoiding public posting altogether is still the best strategy. It may be advisable for people to suspend their social media accounts until the divorce is over. Of course, many people do not wish to do that, however. You should at least change your passwords in order to limit your former spouse’s ability to access the account. Take extra care about the messages you send to others during your divorce, as they may later come back to haunt you in a contested divorce proceeding.
Protect your own interests and contact us or call 760-389-3927 to schedule an appointment for a remote or socially distanced consultation with one of our experienced Certified Family Law Specialists.