Valentine’s Day is just a week away. For Domestic Violence Intervention Services, it’s a time to encourage awareness about unhealthy relationships for teens.
DVIS’s Angela Brown says that teen dating violence happens when a partner or ex-partner is controlling through behaviors and abuse.
Brown says that majority of teens learn violent behaviors in their home environment. She also says that dating violence can start as early as the “tween” years.
Brown says parents should “look for to a change in behavior, in clothing, in the use of technology, if you see a drop in grades at school or a new group of friends.”
“Also if their teenager starts to make excuses for the behavior of their dating partner,” she said.
She encourages parents to be aware in their children’s current relationships and to talk to them about what healthy relationships should look like.
One in three teenagers nationwide experience some form of dating violence.