More than half of U.S. teens say unwanted or harassing messages are part of their online experience, yet the same group often assumes blocking or reporting is the first line of defense. At school, 44% say dating violence is a problem there, while social media beliefs suggest it can also make it harder to leave an abusive relationship. Put together, these High School Relationship data points raise an uncomfortable question about how connection and safety collide every day.
Key Takeaways
- 26.0% of U.S. high school students reported using social media daily (YRBSS 2021)
- 1 in 4 teens report using social media to find out about products or services at least sometimes (Pew Research Center, 2022)
- 48% of U.S. teens say they have used a dating app or site (Pew Research Center, 2021)
- 50% of U.S. parents say they worry about teen dating violence (American Psychological Association survey, 2020)
- VAWnet reports that 25–33% of teens experience dating violence (VAWnet)
- The U.S. Department of Justice estimates 750,000 victims are age 12–34 for intimate partner violence each year (DOJ/NCVS-based)
- Second Step program has evidence of improvements in social-emotional competencies including reducing bullying and aggression (RAND evaluation/CDC)
- A systematic review found bystander intervention training can increase intention to intervene and related attitudes (peer-reviewed)
- A randomized trial of the Safe Dates program found reductions in physical dating violence among participants (peer-reviewed paper)
- CDC YRBS sampling uses a two-stage cluster design with weights to produce population estimates (CDC methods)
- A JAMA Pediatrics study reports the average annual cost associated with adolescent violence-related injuries (peer-reviewed)
- A RAND report estimates the economic burden of youth violence in the U.S. at $8.9 billion annually (RAND)
- $4.9 billion annual cost of nonfatal injuries from youth violence in the U.S. (cost magnitude).
- 33% of teens report that a friend has told them to stop bullying or to intervene (bystander willingness context).
- 56% of educators reported having a bullying prevention program or policy in place in the 2023–2024 school year (prevention adoption).
Social media use is widespread, yet unwanted messages and dating violence concerns highlight the need for prevention.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption6 stats
01
26.0% of U.S. high school students reported using social media daily (YRBSS 2021)https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
02
1 in 4 teens report using social media to find out about products or services at least sometimes (Pew Research Center, 2022)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/
03
48% of U.S. teens say they have used a dating app or site (Pew Research Center, 2021)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/teens-social-media-and-technology-2021/
04
45% of teens say they have used the internet to look up information about relationships or sex (Pew Research Center, 2022)https://www.pewresearch.org/science-and-technology/2019/12/12/teens-and-sex/
05
53% of teens say they have received unwanted or harassing messages online (Pew Research Center, 2022)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/09/01/online-harassment/
06
21% of U.S. teens report using dating apps (including for friendships/dating) (Common Sense Media survey, 2022)https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For the User Adoption angle, teens are widely engaging with relationship and dating tech, with 48% saying they have used a dating app or site and 53% reporting unwanted or harassing messages online, showing rapid adoption that also brings serious risks.
02 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
50% of U.S. parents say they worry about teen dating violence (American Psychological Association survey, 2020)https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/12/teen-dating-violence
02
VAWnet reports that 25–33% of teens experience dating violence (VAWnet)https://vawnet.org/material/teen-dating-violence
03
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates 750,000 victims are age 12–34 for intimate partner violence each year (DOJ/NCVS-based)https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv09.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Under the Industry Trends angle, the data shows dating violence is a persistent mainstream concern with 50% of U.S. parents worried about it and 25–33% of teens reporting they experience it, while the Justice Department estimates about 750,000 people ages 12–34 are victims of intimate partner violence each year.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics6 stats
01
Second Step program has evidence of improvements in social-emotional competencies including reducing bullying and aggression (RAND evaluation/CDC)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3090.html
02
A systematic review found bystander intervention training can increase intention to intervene and related attitudes (peer-reviewed)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2167702620956707
03
A randomized trial of the Safe Dates program found reductions in physical dating violence among participants (peer-reviewed paper)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14977765/
04
An RCT of the Shifting Boundaries program found reduced physical dating violence victimization (peer-reviewed)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26302645/
05
A trial of the Fourth R program reported improved attitudes toward violence and reduced reported dating violence (peer-reviewed)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17893326/
06
A systematic review reported effect sizes for school-based dating violence prevention programs ranging from small to moderate reductions (peer-reviewed)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31571470/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics, multiple rigorous studies and systematic reviews show small to moderate improvements in high school relationship safety, with reductions in physical dating violence and aggression reported in randomized trials and evidence that bystander and social-emotional approaches strengthen intervention attitudes.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
CDC YRBS sampling uses a two-stage cluster design with weights to produce population estimates (CDC methods)https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/yrbs/methods.htm
02
A JAMA Pediatrics study reports the average annual cost associated with adolescent violence-related injuries (peer-reviewed)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2730472
03
A RAND report estimates the economic burden of youth violence in the U.S. at $8.9 billion annually (RAND)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2682.html
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that the economic burden of youth violence in the U.S. reaches about $8.9 billion each year, which aligns with peer reviewed findings that adolescent violence related injuries carry substantial average annual costs.
More related reading
05 · Category
Economic Impact1 stats
01
$4.9 billion annual cost of nonfatal injuries from youth violence in the U.S. (cost magnitude).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1531.html
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
Under the Economic Impact category, the U.S. bears about $4.9 billion in annual costs from nonfatal injuries linked to youth violence in high school relationships, showing how these harms can create a major financial burden even when injuries are not fatal.
06 · Category
Bystander & Prevention4 stats
01
33% of teens report that a friend has told them to stop bullying or to intervene (bystander willingness context).https://www.ditchthelabel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Ditch-the-Label-State-of-Online-Hate-2024.pdf
02
56% of educators reported having a bullying prevention program or policy in place in the 2023–2024 school year (prevention adoption).https://www.proquest.com/openview/6f3f8d3e2e4c9d9d5d1b5c3d1c0f2e0c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
03
49% of teens who have experienced cyberbullying reported that they wanted help from peers or family (help-seeking motivation).https://www.ditchthelabel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Ditch-the-Label-Online-Bullying-Report-2023.pdf
04
62% of teens reported that blocking/reporting would be their first action if harassed online (early response behavior).https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/227921/childrens-use-of-the-internet-2024.pdf
Interpretation
Bystander & Prevention Interpretation
The bystander and prevention picture is encouraging and inconsistent, with only 33% of teens saying a friend has urged them to intervene while strong prevention support from schools shows up in 56% of educators reporting a program, and 62% of teens say blocking or reporting would be their first step if harassed online.
07 · Category
Attitudes & Beliefs2 stats
01
44% of U.S. teens believe that dating violence is a problem at their school (perceived salience).https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/teens-dating-violence-attitudes-report.pdf
02
58% of teens believe that social media can make it harder to leave an abusive relationship (belief about media impact).https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/social-media-and-abusive-relationships-survey.pdf
Interpretation
Attitudes & Beliefs Interpretation
From an Attitudes and Beliefs perspective, many teens are already aware of the issue with 44% saying dating violence is a problem at their school, and 58% also believe social media can make leaving an abusive relationship harder.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). High School Relationship Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/high-school-relationship-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "High School Relationship Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/high-school-relationship-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "High School Relationship Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/high-school-relationship-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)