5 Devastasting Ways Facebook Causes Divorce, According To Research

How can one website ruin a marriage.

man on Facebook showing off for other woman, Facebook page under a magnifying glass in his relationship Be-Art, AegeanBlue | Canva
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Once you exchange vows you'd like to hope that something as silly as Facebook wouldn't be the thing to tear you apart (if any), but you hear about it happening all the time these days.

A 2015 study from Slater Gordon has found ways Facebook can split even happy couples up. 

RELATED: 16 Warning Signs You're Heading Toward A Divorce (Or Probably Should Be)

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Here are 5 devastating ways Facebook causes divorce, according to research:

1. It makes it easy for spouses to snoop

Facebook really puts a couple's trust to the test, and sadly, a lot of them fail. A big 58 percent of partners know their spouse's passwords, but their partners don't always know they know. (Uh-oh!) Instead of communicating about their insecurities, lots of spouses simply resort to snooping.

Why did they snoop? The reason the couples were checking their partner’s social media accounts was to find out if there was anyone specific their spouse was talking to, to check what they were looking up online, to check who they were with when they went out, and find out if they meant the things they were saying to them.

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2. It makes it easy for spouses to cheat

You would hope that your spouse is just using social media to keep in touch with friends and family. But some have a different agenda: As many as 14 percent use this way to cheat on their partner. (This, of course, leads to #1.) 

RELATED: Experts Reveal The Social Media Habits That Prove A Wife Is Unhappy In Her Marriage

3. Couples fight over it

Some things are worth fighting about but is Facebook really one of them? Well, a lot of couples think so! The same study found that almost 25 percent of 2,000 married couples surveyed had at least one argument a week about social media, while 17 percent say it happens every day. 

4. Couples find Facebook threatening

We live in a world where Facebook and other social media are almost inescapable, but deep down people don't trust what they read and see. A whole 15 percent of couples believe social media is a danger to their marriage. What do they think is the most dangerous one? Facebook, followed by WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram.

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RELATED: The Newest Way People Are Using Facebook To Cheat On Their Partners

5. Facebook usage, in itself, can kill marriages

It may seem unlikely, but social media can really push a marriage to the breaking point. The study found one in seven people have contemplated divorce because of how their spouse utilizes Facebook, Skype, Snapchat, Twitter, or WhatsApp.

But think about it: Maybe, just maybe, Facebook is a problem in your relationship, but perhaps your insecurities and infidelity were there all along — Facebook just made them more obvious. Hmm.

RELATED: The 5 Most Common Reasons People Get Divorced (& 5 Unusually Specific Ones)

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Nicole Weaver is a senior writer for Showbiz Cheat Sheet whose work has been featured in New York Magazine, Teen Vogue, and more.