We use technology daily to connect with friends and family, post photos and videos, and find information about health issues, current events, or what’s happening in our community. Increasingly, teens are reporting violence and abuse from current and former dating partners through text messages, social media, and the distribution of nude or semi-nude images without consent. This is called “digital dating violence.”
Digital Dating Violence means physical, sexual, or psychological/emotional violence that occurs between dating partners via texting, social media, and related online mediums. This term is also known as, and will be used interchangeably with, technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
You may not know that digital dating violence is happening to you or to someone you know. It’s OK that you don’t know, but it’s not OK that it’s happening. This toolkit will help you identify whether digital dating violence is happening to you and provides information, tips, and ideas for what to do and what kind of help is available.
What is Teen Digital Dating Violence?
What is Teen Dating Violence?
What is Teen Digital Dating Violence?
Teen Dating Violence Spectrum (in English), Love Is Respect
Healthy vs Unhealthy Relationships, Need Help Now
Love vs Control, Need Help Now
Establishing Personal Boundaries, Need Help Now
Types of Digital Dating Violence
This section provides helpful information for teens about the most common forms of digital dating violence, including harassment, threats, location tracking, texting and sexting, distribution of nude or semi-nude photos, and online luring and sexual exploitation. It also provides resources that can help.
Harassment
When Does Caring Become Controlling? (video, in English), That’s Not Cool
Help! My Ex Is Harassing Me Online
My Partner is Harassing Me through My Cell Phone (in English), HACK*BLOSSOM
My Partner is Harassing Me through Social Media (in English), HACK*BLOSSOM
Dealing with Harassing Calls, Texts, and Messages
Threats
Help! My Partner is Threatening Me
What to Do if Your Partner Threatens Suicide
Location Tracking
My Partner is Stalking My Location (in English), HACK*BLOSSOM
Texting and Sexting
What is Sexting? Kids Help Phone
Sexting Basics: How to Stay Safe, Kids Help Phone
Sexting and Consent: Important Facts to Know, Kids Help Phone
Sexting: Privacy and the Law, Kids Help Phone
Distribution of Nude or Semi-Nude Photos
What to do If Someone Has Shared or Threatened to Share Your Intimate Image
Is there a Sexual Image of You Online and You Don’t Know What to Do? Cybertip
Sextortion: What is Critical to Know? Cybertip
Removing Pictures/Videos Need Help Now
Helping a Friend, Need Help Now
Take It Down (in English and Spanish)
If you are under 18, this tool can help remove images from Facebook, OnlyFans, Instagram, Pornhub, TikTok, and yubo
Deepfakes: A Victim Resource Guide (PDF, in English), Endtab
Please note that this resource sends you to US-based resources. Please see our Legal Remedies and Preserving Digital Evidence Toolkits for Canadian-based resources.
Online Luring and Sexual Exploitation
Stop Sextortion, (video, in English), Thorn
What is Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse? Kids Help Phone
Trauma and Youth who Have Experienced Online Exploitation (PDF), Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Helping a Friend with Online Sexual Exploitation & Abuse, Kids Help Phone
Staying Safe Online
No matter what you’re experiencing in your relationships, we want you to be able to continue to use technology in the safest way possible. Here are some resources to help you navigate online spaces.
Online Dating: Safety Tips, Kids Help Phone
Social Networking Safety for Teens
Online Gaming: Privacy Risks and Strategies
Helping Young People Recognize and Respond to Online Hate, Kids Help Phone
My Partner Has Unwanted Access to My Online Accounts (in English), HACK*BLOSSOM
How Can I Protect My Privacy when Using Social Media? Kids Help Phone
DIY Cybersecurity for Domestic Violence (in English), HACK*BLOSSOM
Safety Planning
Often, the most dangerous time for someone is when they are planning on leaving a violent relationship. The resources in this section provide you with information to strategically use technology in ways that can enhance your safety by creating a safety plan. A safety plan can not only help you strategically think through the steps needed to leave your relationship, but also help to take back some control if you are being stalked, monitored, or abused through a perpetrator’s misuse of technology.
Using Tech Safely in Dating Relationships
Tech Safety Planning Check List
Safety Planner, Kids Help Phone
I Want to Leave My Partner: Creating a Safety Plan (in English), HACK*BLOSSOM
Legal Remedies
The information provided here is designed to help you better understand the legal information about your experiences of Teen Digital Dating Violence. The resources here provide general legal information; legal advice or representation must come from a lawyer who can advise you on your specific situation.
Is That Legal? (available in multiple languages), West Coast LEAF
Did you Know in Canada it’s Illegal To? (PDF), Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Preserving Evidence of Teen Digital Dating Violence
Legal Options and Remedies for Teens Experiencing Digital Dating Violence
The Private Use Exception Rule and the Sharing of Intimate Images
Getting Help
If you or someone you know is experiencing any type of violence in your relationship, there are many people who can help. You may be feeling a variety of different emotions from sadness, anger, shame, embarrassment, or fear about getting in trouble. Know that you are not alone. Finding support early on will very likely result in you feeling less alone. Reach out to a friend, family member, or a safe adult. A safe adult can be a teacher, a coach, or even the parents of a good friend.
The Importance of Seeking Support (PDF), Canadian Centre for Child Protection
How to Identify a Safe Adult, Kids Help Phone
How to Help Someone in an Abusive Relationship, Kids Help Phone
Signal for Help, Canadian Women’s Foundation
Here are some organizations where you can seek support:
Kid Help Phone’s crisis line is available 24/7 by call or text
Sheltersafe.ca connects you with your local domestic violence shelter and its crisis line. You can phone them for advice, counselling, and safety planning.
Additional Resources
This section provides additional resources that may be helpful for you and your experiences of Teen Digital Dating Violence.