What counts as cheating now? Gen‑Z rules vs Boomers

Coldplayers everywhere were in for a surprise last week when an illicit affair was exposed in an hilarious turn of events! A billionaire CEO's tryst with his HR head got played out on a global scale, bringing a deluge of attention (albeit unwanted and unwarranted!) to this private matter.

While we are having a great laugh over it another conversation has opened up — what exactly constitutes as cheating in 2025? Rules of relationships are not what they were before — they are becoming more 'fluid' as the new generation like to call it! Strange new terms such as "situationship", "ghosting", "breadcrumbing", etc. may sound like Greek to oldies like us born and bred in the glory days of the eighties and nineties who waited for their paramour's phone calls on the landline with bated breath and wrote Dickensian love letters, but relationships are becoming increasingly complicated as far as commitment is concerned.

So, in an era where younglings view relationships as binding and prefer to remain footloose and fancy-free with no strings attached, the very definition of love, relationships and cheating has taken on a whole new meaning.

And this perception varies, mind you!

When asked, Naila*, 21, feels that in today's world one should have the autonomy to "explore and experience", and I quote! She says that while relationships of yore regarded marriage as the ultimate goal, that's not the case anymore.

"If my boyfriend is liking another girl's story or picture on social media, I don't think that's cheating. However, if we are only seeing each other and he is taking other girls on dates I will definitely move on greener pastures too!" Naila says jokingly!

For girls like Naila marriage is not the endgame. Focused instead on self-growth and professional success she will only choose to marry if her partner will add significant value to her life.

Farhan*, a 25-year-old executive at a multinational firm has a different perspective.

Majority of his day is spent at the office with his colleagues, almost all of whom are married. However, affairs among them are rampant and loyalty towards spouses is scarce at best.

"When we spend around 14 hours a day with coworkers, it doesn't leave one with much time to focus on romantic relationships outside of work. Especially marriage where commitment is key," he says.

Farhan dates casually, sometimes multiple women at the same time, and is not looking for long-term commitment. When asked if he is looking for true love, he bursts out laughing!

"Does that even exist in 2025?" he exclaims.

Having been in a couple of serious relationships in the past he realised staying loyal is a lot of work when there are so many options available, and is not willing to put in so much of work to stay committed. And working in a demanding corporate environment does not make things easy either.

Traditionally, cheating has always been a major deal breaker. Even if couples experience various problems, be it financial, familial or whatever navigating through them still keeps relationships going but cheating, for some, is where they draw the line.

The ultimate death of a relationship, of love shared between two people when a third person enters their own personal equilibrium and crowds it. And no matter how progressive we become as a race, certain boundaries must never be crossed when it comes relationships.

For fear of being stoned by youngsters I must add that as relationships have become more dynamic for some so has the definition of cheating!

* Names have been changed to hide their identity.