HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Experts told ABC Action News that teen dating violence is more common than you may think.
Advocates across the Tampa Bay area are working to spread awareness so parents can recognize warning signs and learn how to intervene.
“Teen dating violence is one of those things that is not very often talked about. A lot of adults or parents don’t even recognize that it is an issue,” Christine Meister from the Spring of Tampa Bay said.
It's a problem that is overlooked but impacts teenagers across the country and locally. According to the CDC, one in 12 high school students experience dating violence in some capacity.
“When we think of violence, we think of black eyes and broken bones, but a lot of this teen violence is more of a psychological control," said John Long, Vice President of Abuse Services at Hope Villages.
Long said any form of abuse hurts the person involved, but teenagers see more mental control.
“When it comes to dating violence as a whole, we're looking at those aspects of power and control,” Meister said.
She walked us through the warning signs to look out for. That includes if your teenager is withdrawing from friends or family, acting afraid of their dating partner and showing signs that someone is manipulating or controlling them.
“When parents see their kid is getting 50 texts in a row from someone they’re dating, that’s a red flag," Long said.
As for how to approach the subject with your teen, Meister said to ask open-ended questions.
“'How do you feel about A, B, and C,' and 'I saw this happened the other day. Can you tell me more about what you're thought process was?'” Meister said.
Long and Meister said to create a judgment-free zone so your child feels comfortable opening up to you if they are in an unsafe dating situation.
“Relationships are hard. They are not easy, but they shouldn’t be painful. They shouldn’t hurt,” Meister said.
Hope Villages is hosting a virtual training on this topic on Thursday, Feb. 22.
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