Question

Cheating after signing marriage papers will be illegal in 2026.

Answer 1

This claim is false. The linked source is a Facebook post of a screenshot of a google search. Upon further research I was unable to find any evidence that this or any law similar is being considered. Additionally, the google search itself could be heavily edited and used for viral material on Facebook.  According to the article I linked, 2 US family law groups were asked about this claim, and both reported it as false. This claim is most likely just an attempt at a viral post and is false

. https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/05/22/cheating-illegal-2026/

Comments

I agree that this claim is false, I was also unable to find any support for this claim from my research. In some states, adultery is a misdemeanor in some staes, but you will not be arrested for it starting in 2026. This is a false claim. The post was likely edited for shock value to boost engagement.

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I also agree that this claim is false. I like how you debunk what there are saying by pointing out where they got there evidence from. You don't only do this but find your own valid evidence to further hammer in the idea that this claim is incorrect. Lastly you talk about other people who say the claim is fake which makes me believe what you are saying more.

Answer 2

This a bit of a outrageous claim as there is no source stated other than a search from google. Although google is trustworthy you still need to state the information because it comes from an article. Also I do think it is best to stay loyal I don't agree with this claim as sometimes factors play into it such as drinking and natural intentions. In the source I found below this was a twitter claim showing the opinionated statement so this is a False claim. It goes into depth stating that there is no evidence to back the claim stating "None of the claims above specified a country where the alleged anti-cheating law would apply. However, we found no evidence that a federal law criminalizing cheating — interpreted here as adultery — would come into effect in 2026 in the U.S." (Snopes, 2025).

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/05/22/cheating-illegal-2026/ 

Comments

I disagree with the claim that google is reputable. I know that it is not completely related but especially with AI searching the first google search results are often whatever the AI thinks is right, and it has a 50/50 chance of being correct. Also the link you provided does not work, I'm not sure if the article was deleted or if it was copied incorrectly but either way it really weakens your credibility. Lastly, you main articles being from the news and twitter aren't exactly reputable. Maybe finding official statements that prove the original post wrong would make your argument stronger.

Answer 3

The claim that "cheating after signing marriage papers will be illegal in 2026" is very exaggerated and misleading. The source provided with the claim comes from a Facebook post called News Detective, which has no connection to credible news. The post also doesn't include any citations, so it is likely this was posted to go viral and not be factual. After doing some research, there are no official announcements or credible sources, such as Associated Press and government websites, that back this claim. Since Facebook is a well-known social media, this claim likely started as a social media rumor with no evidence.

Comments

I liked that you addressed this claim was very exaggerated, maybe you could add a credible source backing up your claim.

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I don't see how News Detective is a source for this claim.

Answer 4

It literally states in the source itself that it is "apparently" be illegal to cheat after signing papers. There is no evidence to support this claim and is simply a way to get engagements online. In the source https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/05/22/cheating-illegal-2026/ it states in its key points that this claim most likely was originated in South Africa by some TikTok creators. Although adultery is illegal in 13 states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, and Oklahoma- U.S lawyers don't recommend that you press charges. So overall, this post is misleading because it's exaggerated. 

Comments

I like that you address where this claim stemmed from, and brought up the states where cheating is illegal. As well as debunked this claim with a recommendation from lawyers in the US to not press legal charges. Making this a misleading and false claim.