15% of teenage romantic relationships start online.

Tienda, Goldberg and Westreich found that most teenage relationships are in-person, and are with people that the teen meets at school (2022). However, the nuance of this fact says that teens who felt more comfortable or 'fit in' at school were more likely to create in-person romantic relationships than their 'less-sociable' peers. Also, the study found a gendered aspect in that less sociably-comfortable girls were more likely to initiate online relationships.

This does not discount social media as an important tool for initiating or maintaining relationships, however. Internet and social media was the second-most used way to initiate and maintain friends and partners (Tienda, Goldberg and Westreich 2022). Furthermore, teen are more likely to express romantic intentions by interacting the person's social media (e.g. Facebook-friending, liking or commenting posts, DMing) (Pew Research 2015).

The concept of social media apps as a whole must be acknowledged. Avenues of connection have only broadened with social media apps--Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Discord, Snapchat, Telegram, and more. A significant part of their lives are on social media. In a 2020 Pew Research Center article, 70% of respondents between the ages of 18-29 say that they use social media to check up on someone they used to date/be together with, and 48% of that age bracket say that they use social media to share or discuss their current relationship or dating life. Also, younger American adults were more likely to use social media as a way to express how important their relationships are and were more likely to feel insecure or jealous about their partner's social media use.

It is not a reach to extrapolate that data to say that teenagers with access to these apps would participate in these behaviors. In a 2022 study by the Mayo Clinic, 35% of teens use at least one of five social media apps (YT, TikTok, FB, IG, or SC) multiple times a day.

50% of teenagers report harassment and stalking

Stalking is dangerous. As we discussed in January (National Stalking Awareness Month), 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have been victims of stalking in their lifetime. While the literature is limited, studies show that adolescents are more likely to be stalked than adults (SPARC 2022). Being stalked or experiencing dating violence leads adolescents to withdraw from activities that they previously found pleasurable to avoid contact with a stalker. This limits their social connections, support, and people to talk to.

65% of teenagers report psychological abuse

In one nationally representative study of young people ages 14 to 21, 51% of females and 43% of males reported being victims of at least one type of dating violence, while 50% of females and 35% of males reported perpetrating at least one type (Ybarra 2016).

_{Lenhard, A., Anderson, M., Smith, A. (2015). Teens, Technology, and Romantic Relationships. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/10/01/teens-technology-and-romantic-relationships/}

_{Mayo Clinic Staff. (2024) Teens and social media use: What's the Impact?. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art20474437}

_{Tienda, M., Goldberg, R. E., Westreich, J. R. (2022). Adolescents' Partner Search in the Digital Age: Correlates and Characteristics of Relationships Initiated Online. Journal of youth and adolescence, 51(3), 393–408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01557-2}

_{Vogels, E., Anderson, Monica (2020). Dating and Relationships in the Digital Age. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/05/08/dating-and-relationships-in-the-digital-age/}

_{Ybarra, M. (2016) Lifetime Prevalence Rates and Overlap of Physical, Psychological, and Sexual Dating Abuse Perpetration and Victimization in a National Sample of Youth. Arch Sex Behav 45, 1083–1099. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-016-0748-9}