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Dating Violence

National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline: (866) 331-9474

Dating violence can take place in person, online, or through technology. It is a type of intimate partner violence that can include the following types of behavior:

  • Physical violence is when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, or using another type of physical force.
  • Sexual violence involves forcing or attempting to force a partner into sexual acts or touching without their consent, including situations where the partner cannot consent. It also includes non-physical behaviors, like sharing sexual images or sexting without consent.
  • Psychological aggression is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm a partner mentally or emotionally and exert control over a partner.
  • Stalking is a pattern of repeated, unwanted attention and contact by a current or former partner that causes fear or safety concerns for an individual victim or someone close to the victim.

Teen dating violence profoundly impacts lifelong health, opportunity, and wellbeing. Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. The good news is violence is preventable, and we can all help young people grow up violence-free.

Teen Dating Violence Toolkit

 

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Teen Dating Violence Red Flags

  • Shoves, slaps, chokes, hits, or uses weapons against me
  • Constantly checks up on me or makes me check in
  • Isolates me from my friends
  • Texts or calls me excessively
  • Has frequent mood swings: Is angry one minute and the next minute is sweet and apologetic
  • Puts me down, calls me names, or criticizes me
  • Breaks things or throws things to intimidate me
  • Yells, screams, or humiliates me in front of others
  • Threatens to hurt him/herself because of me
  • Makes me feel nervous or like I'm walking on eggshells
  • Forces me into proving my love or loyalty constantly
  • Pressures me into having sex

Why Focus on Young People?

  • Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence – almost triple the national average.
  • Among female victims of intimate partner violence, 94% of these age 16-19 and 70% of those age 20-24 were victimized by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend.
  • Violent behavior typically begins between the ages of 12 and 18.
  • The severity of intimate partner violence is often greater in cases where the pattern of abuse was established in adolescence.

Lack of Awareness

  • Only 33% of teens who were in a violent relationship ever told anyone about the abuse.
  • Eighty-one (81) percent of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue.
  • Though 82% of parents feel confident that they could recognize the signs if their child was experiencing dating abuse, a majority of parents (58%) could not correctly identify all the warning signs of abuse.

Source: Dating Abuse Statistics (April, 2025) – www.loveisrespect.org

Documentation

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