According to Ifop, four out of ten French couples admit to having searched their partner's smartphone without their knowledge. Snooping is a toxic practice aimed at spying on each other's phone. It is a real scourge, especially among young people: 76% of those under 25 have already given in to temptation.
Your partner is taking a shower, picking up a package, or meeting a friend outside with their phone right next to you. You have two options: ignore it or respond to the incessant call to see what's inside. According to an Ifop study conducted for Le Journal du Geek, four out of ten French people have given in to temptation in relationships. The practice is called snooping and means searching your partner's phone. This spying can have serious consequences for your relationship or even be a symptom of domestic violence.
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18-24 year olds who particularly enjoy snooping
Among those surveyed, the adherents of this toxic practice are mainly young people: 76% of those under 25 have searched their partner's phone. According to Louise Jussian, senior research fellow at Ifop, “Snooping is a generational phenomenon closely linked to the importance that smartphones have taken in the daily lives of young people, an essential means of communication that contains the essentials – photos, messages, social networks… theirs intimate life”. 78% of women engage in this practice, compared to 73% of male respondents. And the content examined is different depending on whether you are a woman or a man. These men will be more likely to seek to read messages exchanged with other people who are potentially attractive to their partner, while women will be interested in people followed on social networks.
Snooping: What Do You Discover When You Search Your Partner's Phone?
You know the saying: “He who seeks, finds!” It has proven successful for most sniffing enthusiasts. Half of those surveyed discovered something that was hidden from them when they searched their partner's phone: lies in 35%, infidelity in 29% or conversations with a former partner in 21% of respondents. According to Louise Jussian, this practice is related to the type of relationship: “People in couples who do not live together are more likely to seek this route for possible confirmation that their partner is hiding something from them.”
15% of 18- to 24-year-olds decided to break up after this spying, while a third of respondents said there was an argument.
The practice of snooping can be a symptom of violence or control within couples
According to the senior researcher at Ifop, this practice can lead to more serious situations than a simple argument or breakup. It can also be a symptom of control or even domestic violence. Snooping could become “a question of power and a means of retaliation.” “We can clearly see that the other person’s smartphone is not only an object of curiosity and mistrust, but also a means of blackmail and isolation,” the expert adds. 52% of people who have been victims of physical violence by their partner have also experienced snooping. Here, too, young people (18-24 years old) are most affected: more than one in two respondents say they have been forced by their partner to pass on private information that they found on their phone.
Marjorie RAYNAUD for TF1 INFO