Nearly half of American marriages end in divorce.
You used to have to divide physical items. Now, add in online property like passwords and online accounts.
As if breakups weren't hard enough, now it needs to be taken into account to uncouple your digital life.
Houston Relationship Therapy's Dr. Viviana said couples who have access to passwords can be risky because a broken heart can cause a lot of distress.
"Sometimes it can get pretty ugly and aggressive and violent whether it's just sending e-mails to the new people in their lives or airing dirty laundry. You just never know and I think you should protect yourself from any of those possibilities," said Dr. Viviana.
She said there's nothing like a jilted heart to get you curious about an ex.
"Especially if the terms and the circumstances of your divorce or break-up were kind of nebulous and you didn't really have a real nice, complete closed package at the end of it," said Dr. Viviana.
She said if you were friends and then became romantically involved, since you crossed the line, it might not be able to go back. For at least a month, take a break (mute, unfollow) from each other on social media, then maybe ease back into it down the road.
Dr. Viviana said it shouldn't be about your comfort level. Instead, take the high road and consider the other person’s feelings when it comes to pain.
Experts find it isn’t enough to delete data, wipe it clean like when it came from the factory. Even if you're staying friends with your ex, experts suggest to close any shared social media platforms and create a private profile with privacy settings.