Turkey has entered what observers are calling a new digital chapter in family law after an appellate court ruled that a spouse’s repeated “likes” on other women’s social-media photos can be considered damaging to marital trust. The decision, first reported by Habertürk, is expected to guide future divorce cases involving online behaviour.
The case began in Kayseri, where a woman argued that her husband’s persistent liking of other women’s posts amounted to disrespect and a breach of trust that threatened their marriage. She sought 5,000 Turkish lira in alimony and more than 500,000 lira in damages.
A lower court found the husband “seriously at fault” for the collapse of the marriage and ordered him to pay 40,000 lira each in material and moral compensation, along with 750 lira in monthly alimony. The husband appealed, but the higher court upheld the core findings, slightly reducing the compensation while increasing alimony to 1,000 lira.
In its ruling, the court emphasized that while a “like” is not equivalent to infidelity, it “can have a psychological impact that undermines marital trust.”
Legal experts say the precedent signals a major shift, allowing Turkish courts to consider digital footprints—including likes, comments, and reposts—when evaluating loyalty and determining compensation in divorce cases. The decision is expected to influence a rising number of disputes shaped by online interactions.
The ruling also highlights evolving cultural questions in Turkey about the boundaries of digital engagement and the extent to which online behaviour affects real-life relationships—questions that remain far from settled.
