Anger, fear, resentment, relief and vulnerability are all emotions that are commonly experienced by individuals who are going through a divorce. These feelings are normal and even healthy and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to lean on friends and family for support during this difficult time. This does not, however, include turning to your 450 closest Facebook friends.

Social media websites like Facebook are great for connecting with old and new friends, posting harmless musings and sharing appropriate photographs. However, these sites should never be used as a platform to discuss or complain about your ex or the bitter divorce or custody battle in which you’re engaged.

Divorce is hard and every divorcee is entitled, and even encouraged, to vent sometimes. It’s just never a good idea to do so via your social media accounts. Not only are you likely to post something that you will later regret and feel bad about, but you could also ultimately end up negatively impacting your divorce or child custody case.

Think about it, who would you award custody to if you were a judge who was asked to decide between a parent who, by all accounts, seems loving and caring vs. one who regularly posts on Facebook about their hatred of an ex and late nights out with friends? Additionally, divorce lawyers routinely review their own clients’ social media accounts as well as the accounts of their clients’ exes to discover evidence that may be useful in a divorce case.

In general, individuals who are going through a divorce are advised to refrain from using social media, or at the very least posting anything about an ex or divorce. Individuals are also advised against attempting to delete any previously-posted comments, rants or photos that may be damaging to one’s case as doing so is likely to raise suspicions of more wrongdoing.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Social Media and Divorce: Why You Should Put the Keyboard Down and Log Out,” Ashley Tate Cooper, Dec. 7, 2015