It didn’t start with physical harm. Instead, it started with calls and text messages – demanding to know where you are, who you’re with. They tell you they are jealous of how much time you spend with your friends and family, so you pull back from everyone to give them your full attention. They start to disparage you in front of others but are kind behind closed doors. They begin to pressure you into situations you don’t want to be in – alcohol, drugs, sex – but you do it because you love them, and you think they love you back, because “they told you so.”’

Abuse doesn’t always show up as visible bruises. It shows up as pressure disguised as affection, jealousy framed as care, and control mistaken for love.

The relationships you experience in your teenage years shape your understanding of what love is, and when unhealthy behaviors are normalized early, the impact can stretch far into adulthood and influence what you deem acceptable from future partners.

That is why the 2026 theme for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, “Real Love Respects,” matters. Organized by love is respect, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, it sets forth a critical message: that respect is not optional in healthy relationships – it’s foundational. Real love does not rely on fear, coercion, and control. Instead, real love honors you, supports your independence, and respects your boundaries.

Nearly one in three teens in the United States will experience physical, sexual, emotional, or digital abuse from a dating partner. But numbers alone cannot capture the quiet fear of having a phone constantly monitored, the anxiety of being isolated from friends, or the confusion of being told that love means giving up privacy or autonomy.

Young people who experience dating violence are at greater risk for depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidal thoughts, and are more likely to experience intimate partner violence later in life. What begins as a teenage relationship can quietly set patterns that last for decades.

Yet teen dating violence is not inevitable—and prevention works.

At The Center for Family Justice (CFJ), we see how early exposure to abuse can shape a young person’s sense of safety, self-worth, and trust—often long before they have the language to name what’s happening. That is why prevention education is essential to our mission. Honest conversations about consent, boundaries, and respect equip young people with the tools many adults never had. When schools prioritize relationship education alongside academics, they reinforce that emotional safety matters.

Equally important is shifting responsibility where it belongs. Teen dating violence is not caused by “bad choices” or “drama.” It is rooted in power, control, and harmful messages about gender roles and entitlement. Preventing it requires teaching all young people that real love respects, and that love never involves fear.

This is where communities—and young people themselves—can play a powerful role.

On April 25th, our community will come together in downtown Fairfield for CFJ’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®, an annual awareness walk that asks the community to rethink responsibility and stand in solidarity with survivors. This event strongly emphasizes youth involvement, giving teens an opportunity to be part of the solution—to lead, start conversations, and publicly affirm that respect is the standard.

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is not just about awareness – it is a call to action: to believe teens when they share their experiences, to invest in prevention, and to create spaces where young people can learn, lead, and heal.

If we truly want to end relationship violence, we must start where relationships often begin. By listening to teens, engaging them in prevention efforts, and reinforcing the message that real love respects, we can help build a future where healthy love is the norm—not the exception.

 

To learn more and get involved, visit centerforfamilyjustice.org. If you or someone you know needs help, our 24/7 crisis hotlines are available:

Domestic Violence: 1‑888‑774‑2900
Sexual Assault: 203‑333‑2233