• Help teens understand they are in control of their relationships.
• Provide teens with practical advice to evaluate their relationships.
• Encourage teens to set relationship and sexual boundaries they are comfortable keeping.
• Inform teens that healthy relationships require shared values:
  • Each person’s freedom and priorities are respected.
  • Common interests are shared.
  • Other friendships and relationships remain strong.
  • Partners are not pressured into activities they do not feel comfortable doing.
  • Decisions are made jointly.
• About one in five high school girls report having been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.[1]
• One in three teens report having a boyfriend or girlfriend who demanded to know where they were at all times. One in four teens who have been in a serious relationship say that a boyfriend or girlfriend has tried to prevent them from spending time with friends or family; the same number have been pressured to only spend time with their boyfriend or girlfriend.[2]
• If you suspect your teen is in an unhealthy relationship, look for signs such as:
  • Withdrawal from other friends.
  • Regular and demeaning joking by a boyfriend or girlfriend at your son’s or daughter’s expense.
  • Excessive texting, IMing, or phone calling.
  • Drastic, sudden changes in tastes or interests.
• If your teen tells you that he or she has been the victim of abuse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest:
  • Stay calm.
  • Create a safe environment for communication.
  • Allow your teen to express what is going on.
  • Avoid threatening revenge on your teen’s partner.
  • Explore what community resources are available to help (such as hotlines, counselors, and clinics).
  • Consider reporting the violence to local law enforcement.
  • Document everything—what your teen reports; what actions you take; and what clinical, social work, and law enforcement personnel tell you.

Know More

• Go to Relationships
• BAM! Guide to Getting Along
• National Institute of Justice: Teen Dating Violence: A Closer Look at Adolescent Romantic Relationships
• U.S. Department of Justice: Dating Violence Hotline and other resources
• Break the Cycle: Empowering Youth to End Domestic Violence