Amber Sutton asutton al. It's no surprise that teen dating in the digital age is a lot different from the old days of passing notes and waiting by the phone. For today's teens, social media and modern technology play a huge role in how high school couples meet, communicate and break-up. Want to know more? Browse this slideshow to find out 10 statistics about teen relationships in the modern era as well as read comments from teens involved in the study.
Although dating does increase during this time, it is also normal for adolescents not to be in a relationship. Nearly two-thirds of teens ages have not been in a dating or romantic relationship. Thirty-five percent of teens ages have some experience with romantic relationships, and 19 percent are currently in a relationship. Older teens ages are more likely than younger teens to have experience with romantic relationships Lenhart et al.
It can be hard for pre-teens and teens to know when a dating relationship is unhealthy. Dating abuse can involve a current partner or past partner and can be in-person or digital. Abuse can be physical, sexual, or emotional. Dating abuse affects around one in ten high school students, and it is likely to be underreported.