Avoiding social media anxiety during the divorce process in Texas

There are several strategies divorcing spouses can use to effectively manage their social media accounts during divorce proceedings.

For many people in Texas and throughout the country, using social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, is just another part of daily life. According to the Pew Research Center, as of January 2014, 74 percent of adults who use the internet also use social networking sites. Although social networking can allow people to stay in touch with friends and family members, these websites can become an unneeded source of anxiety during the already emotionally painful divorce process.

Minimizing emotional distress

To ensure that they are able to move on once they decide to end their marriage, The Huffington Post suggests that divorcing spouses should:

• Refrain from looking at their future ex-spouse's pictures, status updates or other information on social media sites on a regular basis
• Use social media sites as a way to coordinate activities with friends and acquaintances
• Think carefully before posting photographs or status updates relating to their divorce that are antagonistic and could put their future ex-spouse in a negative light
• Reset the passwords on all of their social media accounts soon after the split occurs
• Delete some of the pictures in the photograph sections of their social media accounts that serve as constant reminders of their previous marriage

Divorcing spouses who are having a difficult time staying away from their future ex-spouse's profile pages or looking through old photos of their former marriage online should consider taking a temporary break from social media. Although this may create feelings of withdrawal at first, it may help facilitate the healing process.

How social media can affect divorce proceedings

Not only can social media become a source of unneeded emotional distress during divorce, but it can also impact how divorce-related issues, like child custody and property division, resolve during this legal process. For example, during divorce proceedings, a husband may say in court that he does not have the money to make child support or alimony payments. However, this claim may not hold up if his social media accounts are littered with photographs of his new vehicle or the trip he recently took to a foreign country.

Divorcing spouses in Texas should keep in mind that while evidence collected from their former spouse's social media accounts can result in a positive outcome for them, information collected on their own personal accounts can also be used against them. If you and your spouse are contemplating divorce and you are worried about the impact social media could have on the outcome of certain issues, speak with an attorney to find out what you can do to protect your best personal and financial interests.

Keywords: divorce, social media, Facebook