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Everyone who’s on social networking sites shares the same inside joke: “It’s not official until it’s Facebook official.” Or “You changed your relationship status—whoa, big step!” Well, whether or not you view someone’s status as a symbol of a serious relationship, we can probably all agree that sharing private information—like passwords to your Facebook account, email, or phone—with another person is nothing to be taken lightly. According to a recent article in the New York Times, that’s exactly what many teen couples are doing. More than ever before, it’s become a sort of trend for couples to share passwords as sign of trust or to show how serious they are about their relationship. A 2011 survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 30 percent of teens who spend time online have shared a password with a friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend, and that girls are almost twice as likely as boys to disclose the info. The natural inclination is to think that if you’re dating someone seriously, you share everything with that person. No secrets. So, whether it’s a conscious or subconscious act, girlfriends and boyfriends swap passwords to show the other that “Look, I’ve got nothing to hide from you. You can trust me.” Ironic, isn’t it? If there’s really trust in a relationship, you’d think that there wouldn’t be a need to disclose passwords in the first place. And obviously, there’s a chance that things could go awry. Beyond the fact that knowing your guy’s password to his Facebook, email, or phone is an easy formula for paranoia and obsessively checking up on him, what happens if there’s a breakup? You can change a password, but you can’t change what your ex now knows about you from all that access to your online accounts. So what do you think? When you’re in a relationship, do you and your guy swap passwords? Do you think having freedom to check his texts, emails, and Facebook messages makes for a healthier relationship? Sound off in the comments!