A recent article from the New York Times suggests that young couples who exchange passwords is becoming a new trend in relationships, and some St. Thomas students admit to taking part in this activity.

Many claim that the swap is symbolic of trust and that having passwords to social networking and email accounts solidifies a couple’s strength.

However, Carol Bruess, director of family studies, said that young adults should balance the kinds of information that they disclose with others.

“One of the things, the very micro, specific things I think we need to know about communication and healthy relationships is that we have to figure out how to be healthy about how much we reveal and how much we conceal,” Bruess said. “I think sometimes we reveal too much.”

Around campus, students voiced opinions on both sides of the issue.

“I shared my password with my girlfriend, and she shared hers with me. It backfired after we broke up,” freshman Luke Adams said. “I changed it, but then I changed it back to the old one. She could still go back on if she remembered.”

Adams said that he recommends other couples shy away from the practice.

“It was weird having her have the ability to check on my conversations,” Adams said.

Adams said that he provided the information three months into the relationship, claiming that at that stage “he felt comfortable enough to share.”

Freshman Nate DeMaat said he felt similar about the issue.

“It’s my Facebook, it’s my business. If you trust me, then you trust me. If you don’t trust me, then we have issues other than on Facebook,” DeMaat said.

DeMaat said that requesting a Facebook, Twitter or email password goes too far.

“The only information that I really would want to share with anyone else is my phone number,” he said.

Junior Risa Boyce, who has been dating her boyfriend for more than a month, said that she shared her cell phone password with him and would consider sharing her Facebook password with him in the future.

“It would probably be a while before I considered it, around two or three more months,” Boyce said.

Boyce said that she shares her Facebook password with her female friends so they can play games on her account but thinks if her boyfriend asked for it, it would mean he was suspicious.

Freshman Libbe Abbe has also shared her Facebook password with friends but said that she would have to consider the length and depth of the relationship before sharing it with a boyfriend.

“My best friend does know my password,” Abbe said. “She’s been my friend since I was two, and she is friends with people that I used to know and am not friends with. I’m sure I’ll give to to my boyfriend or husband when I’m ready.”

Anastasia Straley can be reached at stra0669@stthomas.edu.