In a Pew Research Center survey 46% of millennials said their social media accounts had a major impact on their relationships.

You should always make your partner feel more important to you than your phone. You should always shut your phone off when you are spending special time with your partner—like when you are having a meal. Continually checking your phone when you are together is rude!

Social media makes it easy to check on someone’s life. It can also be easy to check on someone’s emails and texts if you have their password. If you feel the need to snoop on your partner, than there is a lack of trust in the relationship.  Some people are very private and would be very upset if they found out you were snooping on them.  Snooping is never a good idea in the real world or online! Honest conversations about “boundaries” early in the relationship can prevent problems later.

And using Facebook as an open book of your relationship is a big mistake. Even in this time of heightened social media use, very solid, strong, happy couples often choose not to use Facebook except for trivia.

Honest conversations about your social-media boundaries early in a relationship can prevent surprised later.