Family Law part 2 – Facebook and parenting disputes

LAST week, I spoke about Facebook as a platform for domestic violence.

This week, I want to touch on the relevance of social media to parenting disputes.

Parenting disputes are (understandably) emotional affairs, and when emotions run high, it can sometimes be tempting to take to social media to vent frustration about a split.

However, there are good reasons to be cautious about what you post online.

Anything you put on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram could end up before a court if your parenting dispute requires court intervention (even deleted posts can come back to haunt you if a third party took a screen shot of it before it was deleted).

Suddenly, that old post made in anger or haste needs to be explained and often that is not an easy task.

Some people also use social media to keep friends and family informed of what is happening in their life, including when they are going through court for a parenting dispute.

Such posts could be in breach of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) if they publicly identify a party to the legal proceedings or a witness.

So what is the takeaway this week? If you are unsure about whether to post something exercise caution and don’t post it. Try to stay clear of social media when emotions such as frustration and anger are clouding best judgment.

Until next week – Keep it Legal!

Katie Caldow
kcaldow@walkerpender.com.au

*The legal information in this article is of a general nature only and not intended to be legal advice to rely upon.