• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
We have moved! Find out more and read our Covid-19 update.
Edinburgh 0131 202 7516
Glasgow 0141 404 0436
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
  • Fees

Gibson Kerr

Personal, Family Law & Property

Edinburgh 0131 202 7516
Glasgow 0141 404 0436

Make an enquiry

We will call you back

  • Divorce & Separation
    • Divorce in Scotland
    • Separation Agreements
    • International Divorce
    • Cohabitation Rights Scotland
    • Dissolution of Civil Partnerships in Scotland
    • How Can I Resolve My Divorce Dispute?
    • Fixed Fee Family Law Promotion
  • Prenups & Cohabitation
    • Cohabitation Agreements
    • Civil Partnership Agreements
    • Prenuptial Agreements
    • Postnuptial Agreements
  • Child Law
    • Child Residence & Contact Scotland
    • International Relocation of Children
    • Adoption
    • Child Abduction
    • Dispute Resolution Options
    • Hague Convention
    • Education Law
  • Wills & Estate Planning
    • Intestacy
    • Wills & Will Writing
    • Executries
    • Living Wills
    • Unmarried Couples’ Rights on Death
    • Claims on Inheritance by a “Common Law Spouse” (Cohabiting Partner)
    • Probate in Scotland
    • Power of Attorney
    • Guardianship Orders
    • Intervention Orders
    • Estate Planning
    • Cost of Care
    • Trusts
    • Foreign Estates with Assets in Scotland
    • What Happens When Someone Dies in Scotland?
    • Fixed Fee for Wills and Power of Attorney
  • Financial & Tax
    • Financial & Tax Planning
    • Inheritance Tax
    • Insurance Advice
    • Settlement Agreements
  • Residential Property
    • Properties for Sale
    • Buying Property
    • Selling Property
    • Videos: Buying and Selling Property
    • Joint Purchaser Agreements
    • Equity Release
    • Mortgage Advice
    • LBTT / Stamp Duty Scotland
    • Property Transfers
    • Home Reports
    • How to Present Your Property for Sale
    • Boundary Disputes Solicitors
Blog

Separated Families Facing Further Difficulty Due to Social Media

18th January 2017 Posted Under: Family Law

Some tips on avoiding social media fallouts

It’s safe to say that the trials and travails of day-to-day family life can often bring difficulties, especially when children are involved.

Indeed, even the happiest of families can have their fractious and challenging moments. For many families who are dealing with the issues of being separated, however, these difficulties sadly are all too ready to come to the fore.

And, regrettably, this is being compounded by social media. As social media becomes an all consuming part of many people’s lives, it’s easy to see why it can cause so much frustration and fan the flames of upsetting flare ups.

Picture the scene; a family have separated and the mother and father have both met new partners. The parents enjoy a split residence of the child as part of an agreement they drew up. At the moment, things seem amicable. However, as the current lifestyle norm is post – or record – on whatever we are doing on social media channels (such as posting photos, videos and content), this seemingly innocuous occurrence can quickly descend into an argument.

The reasoning for this takes the form of good old fashioned envy.

As is the case with most separated families, one parent has residence of the child throughout the week, and if they have work and/or the child has obligations, there is going to be much less for them to post on social media.

However, the parent who has the child during the weekend has much more free time with them and can visit the cinema, go to the park or go out and have fun in other ways – all of which make great and eye-catching posts on social media.

This is what leads to conflict; one parent feels that the other parent is ‘point-scoring’ by showing how much fun the child has when they are with them, versus how little fun they have with the other parent.

If there are step parents involved, the potential trigger points can be more pronounced – one parent taking umbrage at photos of their child having fun with their step parent whereas there are fewer posts of them on trips out, playing games and such like.

So, to help navigate this, we’ve put together five tips on how to avoid social media conflict. These are not exhaustive, they are not legally binding and they are not a cure all. However, if you follow these tips then you are working to the best of your ability to ensure positivity in your relationship with your former partner for the benefit of the child involved.

  • 1) Think before you post – it’s easy to just post instantaneously, however that doesn’t mean you should. Think about what you’re posting, right down to the words and take a second to think as to whether the wording would cause some conflict.
  • 2) Who have you tagged? – Have you tagged anyone in the photo? If tagging family members, it can often be beneficial to tag the other parent as a way of involving them in the post.
  • 3) Do you share? Similar to the tip above, it’s worth sharing photos of the other parent and the child when they have a ‘fun day’ to show support for your child and their other parent.
  • 4) Are you commenting? If you’re commenting on the posts of the other parent, ensure it’s in a civil manner and that the comments don’t cast any aspersions.
  • 5) Should I unfriend? It’s difficult to decide whether to unfriend someone, especially after a relationship ends. However, it’s easy to set up your Facebook account so that all posts except ones involving the child are not visible to the other parent. This way, you can still keep some privacy, share photos of the child and stay away from any conflict that may arise from ‘unfriending’ someone on social media.

Do you need help? Gibson Kerr specialises in family law, divorce, separation, child contact and residence, prenuptial agreements and separation agreements.

To get in touch with our expert team call us on 0131 202 7516.

Related

International Women's Day #BreakTheBias

International Women’s Day #BreakTheBias

8th March 2022

Mediation week: what is family mediation?

Mediation Week: What is Family Mediation?

20th January 2022

Nadine Martin

Family Law Team Continues To Grow

18th August 2021

Primary Sidebar

Blog Categories

  • Careers in Law
  • Child Law
  • Divorce
  • Education Law
  • Elderly Care
  • Executries
  • Family Law
  • Financial & Tax
  • Guardianship
  • News
  • Personal Law
  • Power of Attorney
  • Prenuptial and Cohabitation Agreements
  • Property
  • Property Transfers
  • Separation
  • Trusts
  • Uncategorised
  • Wills

Latest posts

Family Law experts push to become mediation market leader

28th April 2022

Purdie & Co trust Gibson Kerr with Wills and Powers of Attorney

18th March 2022

International Women’s Day #BreakTheBias

8th March 2022

Footer

Edinburgh 0131 202 7516
Glasgow 0141 404 0436

Make an enquiry

We will call you back

Locations

Edinburgh

Family Law, Personal Law
&
Property Law

6 Randolph Crescent
Edinburgh
EH3 7TH

t: 0131 202 7516
f: 0131 557 5215

e: edinburgh@gibsonkerr.co.uk

Open: 8:30-17:00, Monday - Friday

Glasgow

Personal Law & Family Law

100 West George Street
Glasgow
G2 1PJ

t: 0141 404 0436

e: glasgow@gibsonkerr.co.uk

Open: 8:30-17:00, Monday - Friday

  • Family Law
  • Personal Law
  • Property Law
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Disclaimer
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Notice

© 2022 Gibson Kerr · Site by Kate Amann

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. See our cookie policy.
Cookie SettingsReject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent1 yearRecords the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_110715042_11 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
_gcl_au3 monthsProvided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
fr3 monthsFacebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysGoogle DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThe test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo