Do you snoop on your spouse? Is spousal privacy a problem or a plus?
Recent polls show that 50 percent of people admit to sneaking a peak at their partner’s phone at some point in time. 48% of women reported they felt looking was “okay,” and 31% of men felt the same.
While snooping on your partner is frowned upon, experts say there are also plus sides. Things like locations, timetables, and surprises could all fall under the category of privacy, but where does the balance land?
When does looking, scrolling, and checking cross the martial line? When considering safety and timetables, sharing digital information with a partner seems reasonable. But if you’ve ever considered going through a partner’s phone out of jealousy or trust, you’re not alone.
According to a study by pew research, 34% of Americans have looked through a partner’s phone without their knowledge.
Experts say snooping on your significant other will bring on one of three outcomes. The guilt of invading your partner’s privacy, questions of trust, and feelings of betrayal. It’s better to set clear boundaries that revolve around safety instead of distrust. Track locations only when you know your partner is in an unsafe area. If you haven’t heard from them recently, or if they haven’t reached a location safely. A good rule of thumb to consider is, if it feels invasive to you, it’s probably invasive to them too.
Keep in mind, that a constant urge to go through your partner’s phone or track their location can speak more about your relationship than you realize. Studies also showed that Gen Z’ers found more upsetting information on their phones than millennials or Gen X-ers did. Another surprising fact was 72 percent of people in relationships share cell phone passcodes.
Here’s what the phone-snooping respondents said they were looking at:
- Texts (78%)
- Social media accounts (42%)
- Photos (41%)
- Call history (35%)
- Browsers history (24%)
- Emails (21%)