TEEN DATING VIOLENCE
When people think about dating violence, they don’t often picture teens, but teen dating violence is wide-spread with both long and short-term consequences.
With unlimited social media, books, music, movies, TV shows, etc at our fingertips 24/7, we’re surrounded by all kinds of influences. These sources of information can portray unhealthy relationships as being the norm and it’s especially confusing for teens.
So many mixed messages about what’s healthy!
According to the CDC’s information about this issue, “Many teens do not report dating violence because they are afraid to tell friends and family. The 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey[2.77 MB,180 Pages, 508] found that nearly 12% of high school females reported physical violence and nearly 16% reported sexual violence from a dating partner in the 12 months* before they were surveyed.
For high school males, more than 7% reported physical violence and about 5% reported sexual violence from a dating partner.
A CDC Report found among victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, nearly 23% of females and 14% of males first experienced some form of violence by that partner before age 18.”
Teen dating violence can cause:
- Feelings of anxiety or overwhelming sadness
- Unhealthy behaviors, such as using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol
- Antisocial behaviors
- Thoughts about suicide
If you or a teen you care about is experiencing even a couple of issues below, please reach out to us for help.
Abuse is never okay and it’s not your fault.