New Study Shows Facebook Cited in One Third of Divorces
According to a recent Lawyers.com article, a new survey by the UK-based site Divorce-Online reports that Facebook plays a role in one in three divorces in the UK. This does not come as a surprise to many local Pennsylvania divorce lawyers, who will recall the widely circulated statistic from last year that Facebook was involved in one in five divorces in PA and throughout the U.S. Although this figure has been disputed among some legal experts, one thing is certain: your activity on Facebook is fair game to be used against you in any Pennsylvania divorce, child custody, or other family law proceeding.
The Facebook phenomenon in the context of Pennsylvania family law cases is real. A study conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that 81 percent of divorce attorneys reported social media sites such as Facebook as a growing source of evidence in divorce cases.
How is Facebook Used in PA Divorce Cases?
Parties to a Pennsylvania divorce will almost always find themselves under a heightened level of personal scrutiny. Evidence from Facebook is routinely used in PA family law cases. Facebook can be used to establish an individual's lifestyle or character by demonstrating patterns such as spending habits, alcohol abuse, drug use and other irresponsible behavior by a parent, contradictions to statements previously made on the record, or the failure of an individual to make a good faith effort to find a job.
Additionally, the recent Divorce-Online survey listed the top three reasons Facebook was brought up in divorce petitions. They are:
- Inappropriate messages to members of the opposite sex
- Separated spouses posting disparaging comments about each other
- Facebook friends reporting a spouse's behavior
Most Pennsylvania divorce lawyers are very comfortable with online research, and they will search your Facebook profile and other social media sites in an effort to obtain evidence that can be used against you in your PA family court proceeding.
What You Can Do
From behind a computer screen, people tend to feel a false sense of anonymity when posting information to Facebook or other websites. The reality is that anything you post on the internet - messages, wall posts, pictures, etc. - is public information that can be retrieved by other people and used as evidence against you in your Pennsylvania divorce or child custody action. Develop a keen sense of self-awareness. Monitor anything and everything you post online. Be mindful of your Facebook privacy settings, and consider running your own search to determine what kind of information about you is publicly available to others. In fact, if you are involved in a pending PA divorce or other family law action, it is often advisable to refrain from using Facebook and other social media sites altogether.
Learn more about filing for divorce in PA.
Jason Martin, Esq. is an experienced PA family law attorney who assists clients seeking divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support and alimony in Montgomery County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County and Philadelphia County. Contact The Martin Law Firm for a no-obligation, confidential consultation.