Teen Dating Violence Prevention | Children's Safety Network

Definition: Teen dating violence is a pattern of controlling behavior exhibited towards one teenager by another in a dating relationship. There are three major types of teen dating violence:

Physical: hitting, punching, slapping, shoving, kicking
Emotional: threats, name calling, screaming, yelling, ridiculing, spreading rumors, isolation, intimidation, stalking, and, more recently, using technology to harass or intimidate by texting, calling, and/or bullying or monitoring via social networking sites
Sexual: unwanted touching or kissing, forced or coerced engagement in sexual acts

Magnitude of the Problem

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBS), 5.9% of high school students reported that they had experienced sexual dating violence, and 10.4% reported that they had experienced physical dating violence in the past year.¹

However, numbers vary by demographic group, with higher values observed in some populations:

Girls were more likely than boys to experience sexual (9.3% vs. 2.9%) and physical (11.4% vs. 9.3%) dating violence.
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth were more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience sexual (11.6% vs. 4.3%) and physical (16.2% vs. 7.8%) dating violence.

Prevention

There are a number of evidence-based strategies and approaches for preventing teen dating violence that span the socio-ecological model and lifespan. Injury and violence prevention experts recommend combining strategies to promote healthy dating and prevent violence.^2,3

Teach skills for safe and healthy relationships
- Social-emotional learning programs for youth
- Awareness and understanding of the consequences of violence
- Healthy relationship programs for couples
Engage influential adults and peers
- Men and boys as allies in prevention
- Bystander empowerment and education
Family-based programs
- Disrupt the developmental pathways toward partner violence
- Early childhood home visitation
- Preschool enrichment with family engagement
- Parenting skills and family relationship programs
- Treatment for at-risk children, youth, and families
Create protective environments
- School climate and safety
- School-based skills building programs for teens
- Mentoring and after-school programs to connect teens to caring adults (2024)
- Workplace and other physical and social environments that promote safety and encourage help-seeking
- Strengthened community ties and social cohesion
Strengthen economic supports for families
- Strengthened household financial security
Strengthened work-family supports
- Support survivors to increase safety and lessen harms
- Treatment and support for victims
- Housing programs
- First responder and civil legal protections
- Patient-centered approaches

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2023 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. Updated January 29, 2025. Accessed March 24, 2026. https://yrbs-explorer.services.cdc.gov/.
Niolon PH, Kearns M, Dills J, et al. Intimate partner violence prevention resource for action: A compilation of the best available evidence. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2017. Accessed March 24, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/violence-prevention/media/pdf/resources-for-action/IPV-Prevention-Resource_508.pdf.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing youth violence. Updated October 29, 2024. Accessed March 24, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/youth-violence/prevention/index.html.