Teen Dating Violence Information in Salem County, NJ

Learn how to recognize teen dating violence, support healthy relationships, and find confidential help for teens, families, schools, and communities in Salem County.

Clear Information for a Difficult Situation

Helping Teens, Families, and Schools Recognize the Signs

Teen relationships can be exciting, emotional, confusing, and sometimes difficult to talk about. When a relationship becomes controlling, threatening, intimidating, or abusive, teens may not always know how to name what is happening or where to turn for help.


Teen dating violence can affect a young person’s safety, confidence, friendships, school life, mental health, and sense of trust. It can also be difficult for parents, caregivers, educators, coaches, and friends to know when to step in or how to respond in a way that feels safe and supportive.


Salem County Women’s Services provides confidential support, education, advocacy, and resources for people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence in Salem County. Whether you are a teen looking for help, a parent worried about your child, a friend who wants to support someone, or an educator looking for resources, you do not have to figure it out alone.

Understanding Teen Dating violence

What Is Teen Dating Violence?

Teen dating violence is a pattern of abusive, controlling, or harmful behavior in a dating relationship. The New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence explains that New Jersey defines teen dating violence as behavior where one person uses or threatens physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse to control a dating partner.


Teen dating violence can happen in person, online, over text, through social media, or through other people. It can happen in casual dating relationships, serious relationships, current relationships, or past relationships.

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Teen Dating Violence May Include:

  • Physical abuse, such as hitting, pushing, grabbing, or blocking someone from leaving
  • Emotional abuse, such as insults, humiliation, threats, jealousy, or manipulation
  • Sexual pressure, coercion, assault, or unwanted sexual contact
  • Digital abuse, such as constant texting, monitoring, password demands, location tracking, or threats to share private images
  • Isolation from friends, family, activities, or support systems
  • Controlling what someone wears, where they go, who they talk to, or how they spend their time
  • Threats of self-harm, harm to others, outing someone, or spreading rumors


Abuse is never the fault of the person being harmed. Help is available.

What Healthy Relationships Can Look Like

Healthy relationships are built on respect, trust, honesty, kindness, communication, consent, and personal boundaries. A healthy relationship should not make someone feel afraid, controlled, pressured, or isolated.


In a healthy relationship, both people should be able to:

  • Spend time with friends and family
  • Say no without fear
  • Have privacy
  • Make their own choices
  • Feel heard and respected
  • Talk through disagreements without threats or intimidation
  • End the relationship without being harassed or punished
  • Set boundaries around texting, social media, physical affection, and sex


The CDC’s Healthy Relationships Toolkit is designed to help promote healthy teen relationship skills and prevent violence in adolescence, especially for young people ages 11 to 14.

Warning Signs of an Unhealthy or Abusive Teen Relationship

Teen dating violence does not always begin with obvious physical abuse. It may start with jealousy, pressure, constant texting, put-downs, or controlling behavior that is framed as love, concern, or protection.


Warning signs may include:

  • A partner constantly checks in, tracks location, or demands immediate responses
  • A teen seems afraid to upset their partner
  • A partner pressures the teen to send photos, share passwords, or do sexual things
  • The teen withdraws from friends, family, sports, clubs, or school activities
  • The partner insults, embarrasses, threatens, or humiliates them
  • The teen’s mood, confidence, grades, or attendance changes suddenly
  • The partner shows extreme jealousy or accuses them of cheating
  • The teen makes excuses for the partner’s behavior
  • There are unexplained injuries, anxiety, fear, or changes in behavior
  • The partner threatens to hurt themselves, the teen, or someone else if the relationship ends


Not every warning sign means abuse is happening, but patterns of control, fear, pressure, or harm should be taken seriously.

Digital Abuse and Online Safety

Many teen relationships involve phones, messaging apps, social media, location sharing, gaming platforms, and school devices. Digital abuse can make it hard for someone to feel safe even when they are not physically with the other person.


Digital abuse may include:

  • Demanding passwords or access to accounts
  • Reading private messages without permission
  • Tracking location through apps or shared devices
  • Sending repeated messages and expecting instant replies
  • Posting embarrassing or private information online
  • Threatening to share photos, videos, screenshots, or rumors
  • Using fake accounts to monitor, harass, or intimidate
  • Pressuring someone to send images or videos
  • Controlling who someone follows, likes, messages, or talks to


If a teen is worried that their phone, accounts, location, or search history are being monitored, they should try to reach out from a safer device or speak with a trusted adult or advocate before making changes that could increase risk.

For Teens: What to Do If Something Feels Wrong

You do not need to prove that something is “bad enough” before asking for help. If a relationship makes you feel scared, trapped, pressured, controlled, embarrassed, unsafe, or unlike yourself, it is okay to talk to someone.


You can:

  • Talk to a trusted adult, counselor, teacher, coach, family member, or advocate
  • Save messages, screenshots, photos, or notes if it feels safe to do so
  • Think about where you could go if you needed help quickly
  • Avoid meeting the person alone if you feel unsafe
  • Make a plan for school, transportation, after-school activities, and online safety
  • Call 911 if you are in immediate danger
  • Contact a confidential support resource


Love is Respect offers confidential support for teens and young adults by phone, text, and chat. Youth.gov identifies the National Dating Abuse Helpline through Love is Respect as a 24-hour resource for teens, young adults, friends, parents, teachers, law enforcement, and service providers. 

For Parents and Caregivers: How to Support a Teen

It can be frightening to suspect that your teen is being hurt, pressured, or controlled. Your first reaction may be to demand that the relationship end immediately, take away the phone, contact the other person’s family, or confront the partner directly. In some situations, those steps may increase risk or cause the teen to shut down.



A safer first response is often to stay calm, listen, believe them, and remind them that they are not in trouble.


You can support a teen by:

  • Asking open-ended questions instead of blaming or lecturing
  • Saying clearly that abuse, pressure, threats, and control are not okay
  • Letting them know they deserve respect and safety
  • Avoiding judgment about why they stayed or why they still care about the person
  • Helping them connect with an advocate, counselor, or trusted school staff member
  • Talking through digital safety, transportation, school routines, and safe contacts
  • Calling 911 if there is immediate danger


Adults do not have to have every answer before reaching out. Salem County Women’s Services can help families think through options and connect with appropriate support.

For Friends: How to Help Someone You Care About

Friends are often the first people to notice that something is wrong. If your friend is being controlled, threatened, or hurt, your support can matter.


You can help by:

  • Listening without judging
  • Letting your friend know the abuse is not their fault
  • Avoiding pressure to break up before they feel ready or safe
  • Helping them save important information if they choose to
  • Encouraging them to talk to a trusted adult or advocate
  • Staying connected so they do not feel alone
  • Getting emergency help if someone is in immediate danger


Do not promise to keep a dangerous situation secret. If your friend may be harmed, is being threatened, is being sexually abused, or may hurt themselves, tell a trusted adult or call emergency help.

For Educators, Coaches, and Youth-Serving Adults

Teachers, school counselors, coaches, youth group leaders, mentors, and other trusted adults can play an important role in recognizing teen dating violence and helping young people connect with support.


New Jersey law requires school districts and charter schools to have policies addressing dating violence prevention, response, and education. The New Jersey Department of Education provides teen dating violence prevention and intervention resources, including a model policy and guidance document for schools.


Youth-serving adults can help by:

  • Learning the warning signs of teen dating violence
  • Creating safe, nonjudgmental spaces for students to talk
  • Knowing school reporting and response procedures
  • Connecting students with counseling, advocacy, or crisis support
  • Avoiding actions that could increase danger without safety planning
  • Sharing healthy relationship education with students and families
  • Taking digital harassment, coercion, and threats seriously
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Need Help With Teen Dating Violence in Salem County?

You do not have to wait until a situation becomes an emergency to ask for help. Salem County Women’s Services can help teens, parents, caregivers, educators, and concerned friends understand options, find resources, and connect with confidential support.



Support is available for people in Salem, Pennsville, Carneys Point, Penns Grove, Woodstown, and communities throughout Salem County.