Teen Dating Violence

Dating violence among teens is fast becoming a problem, with 1 in 3 adolescents reporting being a victim of some type of abuse from a dating partner, including physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse.

Teen dating violence can be physical (hitting, kicking or other violent physical acts), emotional (threatening a partner, minimizing their self-worth, exhibiting jealous or controlling behavior, bullying, shaming) or sexual (forcing a partner to engage in sexual activity against their will or consent). It can have a negative influence on a young person’s growth into early adulthood, resulting in poor academic performance, binge drinking, substance abuse, negative self-esteem or body image and suicide.

Girls between the age of 16-24 are most likely to experience dating violence, almost triple the national average. A staggering 94 percent of girls age 16-19 and 70 percent of those age 20-24 have been victimized by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend. Intimate partner violence is generally seen in cases where a previous pattern of abuse was established during adolescence.

Almost half (43 percent) of college-age women have been subjected to violent or abusive dating situations and 1 in 6 have been sexually abused in a dating relationship. The violent relationships can have long-last effects and put survivors at higher risk for issues such as substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior and further domestic violence.