Against teen dating
25-Sep-2017 04:03
The study examined 4,400 responses from 11- to 18-year-old students in one school district in the southern U. The study's authors say this is one of the first attempts to quantify how often digital dating abuse is occurring among teens.
"It may be checking her text and pictures to make sure she's not texting with any other boys," explains Sameer Hinduja, co-founder of the Cyberbullying Research Center and associate professor of criminology at Florida Atlantic University.
Abusive teens may also exert their control by preventing their partners from using technology, experts say.
About 10 percent of teens interviewed say a romantic partner stopped them from using a computer or cell phone.
In fact, this study showed that boys are more likely to be victims: about 5 percent of boys and 3 percent of girls had a romantic partner upload or share a humiliating photograph online.
Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of education for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, says digital dating abuse is becoming a more frequent problem among teens.
The 24/7 technology enables the abusive partner to stalk the other person after school and on weekends, he said.
Liz Claiborne Inc., a major women's clothing company, is addressing digital dating abuse.
She has heard of cases where the abusive partner may take the partner's password to check up on him or her routinely.