AMY Xia, a 33-year-old public relations manager, recently found out that her boyfriend, whom she met through social chatting app WeChat a few months ago, is a married man.

The two met through the “Shake” function of the app, which is enabled when users shake the phone to identify their spot and locate people nearby who are using the same function to look for strangers to chat.

These new apps, which many people call “secret hookup weapons,” have become a marriage terminator in China. They helped increase extramarital affairs by 20 percent in 2014 over the previous year, according to data released at the first Chinese Marriage and Family Consulting Service Industry Summit, held last week in Shanghai.

“In all the affairs we dealt with in 2014, about 15 percent were caused by social networking apps,” says Shu Xin, president of Weiqing Group, a local marriage consulting firm. “The trend will continue in 2015, and all kinds of ‘secret hookup weapons’ will probably become a frequent channel for affairs.”

A third wheel was the major cause for three-fourths of Chinese divorce cases in 2014, according to data released at the summit. Other causes included domestic violence and long-distance marriages.

(Another phenomenon was some couples getting divorced temporarily as a way to get more square meters in their new homes as compensation when their current homes get demolished for new development.)

In marriages where a third wheel surfaces, only 30 percent of the couples choose to get divorced, while 70 percent opt for tolerance. Divorce courts are now allowing chat messages as legal evidence of affairs.

“In the current society, extramarital affairs are not considered a shameful act as they should be by moral standards, and many third wheels are proud of themselves and even share strategies on how to win over the wives or husbands,” says Ming Li, an experienced marriage consultant. “The legal cost for extramarital affairs is still small, which is a major reason for their popularity.”

According to divorce lawyers, marriage law states that those at fault in a marriage, including husbands or wives engaging in extramarital affairs, get less of the shared property. But the exact percentage is not specified and goes case by case.

“In real court cases, often it is hard to get a lot of compensation,” says Larry Wang, a veteran divorce lawyer. “It is very difficult to prove affairs, and it depends a lot on the debate in the court and the judge.”

Wang says he’s aware of the role chatting apps play in affairs and has long included searching chat history in such apps as a primary source for evidence.

Young Chinese are known to have few social occasions to meet people outside the workplace or through acquaintances, which often turns into a serious matchmaking introduction. The social pressure for marriage is huge and many are desperate to meet the one.

The Internet, especially mobile chatting apps, has provided them with more channels and courage. While most people still use WeChat mainly to contact friends and acquaintances, several dozen apps are designed purely to meet strangers.

One is Momo, which means “stranger and stranger.” Known as “the hookup weapon,” it was so popular that the company initiated a public stock offering on the NASDAQ index in the US last December. Such apps allow people to search for strangers nearby to chat and possibly lead to more later.

“I was desperate to meet new people because I have exhausted my own resources — friends and relatives — who have tried to introduce different kinds of men to me, and none worked,” says PR manager Xia, a divorced native of the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian who works alone in Shanghai.

“I really want to get married again and I needed new ways to meet men outside of my normal network, which hasn’t provided me anyone who worked out,” she adds.

For some people, such as 35-year-old John Zhang who works for a state bank, the apps are irresistible because they help him to be anonymous — and irresponsible.

“We all know what the apps are good at — hooking up with strangers,” he says. “Those who will use them, like me, are not looking for serious relationships, so it feels safer than hooking up with someone I know in real life, which may lead to consequences. If it gets troublesome, I can just delete my account and disappear.”

In addition to strangers, the chat apps allow for easier, cheaper and more frequent contacts among acquaintances, increasing the chances for affairs. According to the local marriage consulting firm Weiqing Group, extramarital affairs commonly spring from current clients, colleagues or old classmates.

At last week’s forum in Shanghai, a large-scale Chinese Marriage Security Report survey was announced.

It will sample 100,000 people in 10 medium and large cities to conduct research on the current state of Chinese marriage, major threats to it, and suggested solutions, among other issues. It is expected to be released before the end of this year.

Voices

Jean Jin, 26

Project manager, married for one year

“The social networking apps make it very easy for people to stay in touch. I got reconnected with many old friends and classmates through WeChat, and I do sometimes see slightly flirtatious messages on my husband’s phone. So I try my best to prevent it by asking him to use our marriage photo as the profile picture.”

Wang Yan, 66

Entrepreneur, married for 41 years

“Sometimes I get random WeChat messages and even strange photos from people I have met only once or twice in a function, so I can see why some men may be seduced. It allows people to reach out to you in a multimedia way, but then it all comes down to a moral issue of whether you can hold up to your own moral standard.”

Phillip Qian, 34

Sales director, married for two years

“I’ve almost wronged once, when I got reconnected with my first girlfriend through WeChat and found out that she was divorced. We broke up after a quarrel and I had since regretted it, so it was a real shock to find out she was single. I reached out without thinking about the consequences, and cut off before my wife found out. I’m now glad I didn’t make the mistake.”