Teen dating violence, also known as adolescent dating abuse, involves power and control over a partner and is commonly driven by social norms and lack of awareness. These behaviors are not exclusive to defined dating relationships but can be present in non-traditional relationships that do not carry a label. Examples can include someone a young person is “talking to”, “hanging out” with, or in a situationship with.

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One of the most damaging impacts of teen dating violence is isolation from friends and family at a time when social bonds are critical to the development of resilience in adolescents. Social networks play a significant role as a protective factor for youth as they serve to provide a support system that validates and empowers them. It’s important to be culturally aware when working with youth and be able to differentiate how these dynamics appear in violent relationships. For example, many LGBTIA+ youth may not be out of the closet, and in LGBTQIA+ relationships, this can look like threatening to out one’s partner if they seek help. Violence targeting LGBTQIA+ youth increases feelings of hopelessness, suicide ideation, and absenteeism in school. These are also outcomes of teen dating violence in general.

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Abusive behavior is learned and enacted when a person chooses to cause harm to their partner and environments normalize it. These behaviors can stem from experiencing abuse at home and/or witnessing it at school, although there are numerous risk factors for someone causing harm. Nearly half of students who experience dating violence have reported that some of the abuse took place on school grounds. School environments can be risky for youth in abusive relationships if staff do not have policies to address teen dating violence and provide education on healthy relationships. The California Healthy Youth Act mandates school districts to provide comprehensive sex education to youth once in middle school and once in high school. This includes healthy relationship information an as well as ensuring that curricula are inclusive to LGBTQIA+ students.

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To meet this requirement, domestic violence organizations often partner with schools to provide healthy relationship education to students utilizing evidence-informed curricula. Some prevention educators have the capacity to provide sample policies and procedures to support schools in preventing violence, as well as support students when violence occurs. Notably, many organizations support youth leaders in their efforts to meet the social emotional learning needs of students and enhance school safety. While trusted adults are critical to preventing teen dating violence, youth are often the most effective messengers to open up conversations and shift harmful social norms. In 2023 alone, the Fremont-based organization SAVE’s Team Stronger Than You Think taught 2,664 youth healthy relationship skills.

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Between 2018 and 2023, Gov. Newsom and the California Legislature invested in domestic violence and sexual assault prevention funding. This resulted in the establishment of many prevention education programs, school and community-based prevention initiatives, and youth leadership and mobilization programs focused on teen dating violence prevention. State funding has come in one-time allocations and has not been dedicated in an ongoing way. As a result, sexual and domestic violence programs have been forced to lay off many staff members who work with youth when funding cycles end. They have also had to close programs. The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence and VALOR are committed to securing stable, ongoing funding for prevention efforts.