Should You Share Online Passwords With a Boyfriend or Girlfriend?

by Kelly Schwarze 1

Once you've gotten to a comfortable point in a romantic relationship, how do you recognize mutual trust and respect for one another? With our private lives stored within emails, Facebook photos, and Netflix queue preferences, many young couples now see the final pillar in solidifying trust in a relationship is sharing the password into a partner's virtual world.

The New York Times recently profiled what they see as a growing trend of teenagers showing their security in a relationship by sharing the passwords for email, Facebook, instant messenger accounts, even their phone with a girlfriend, boyfriend, or close friend. It's easy to get lost in the euphoria of a new love, believing they should be privy to your every digital thought. The hindsight of a relationship gone sour suggests that sharing a password can lead to a slippery slope where the no-longer-significant other has access to potentially embarrassing information on the former love.

If you've had either a positive or negative experience with sharing passwords in the past, chime in with your thoughts in the comments.