What
was found based on the survey (Claiborne 2008):
· Only 12% of parents (compared with 23% of tweens)
know someone their child’s age who has had a partner threaten to spread rumors if they didn’t do as told.
· One in four parents (24%, versus 40% of tweens) know
someone their child’s age who has been called names or put down by a boyfriend/girlfriend.
o
Only
22% of parents (compared with 36% of all tweens) know someone their child’s age who has been called stupid, worthless,
ugly, etc. by a boy/girlfriend.
· Twice as many tweens as parents know a friend or
peer who has been pressured to have oral sex (8% vs. 4%) and who have been pressured to have sex (go all the way) against
their will (9% vs. 5%).
More tweens than parents realize, know friends who
· Had rumors spread about them electronically
via cellphones, chatting, or facebook/myspace.
· Had private and embarrassing pictures
and video of them shared.
· Have been verbally abused via cellphone,
IM, text, networking site, etc.
· Have been made to feel afraid not to
respond to an electronic communication.
WHAT THE STUDY FOUND (Weingartner, 2008)
1. Significant
levels of abusive behavior are reported in tween dating relationships, and teens report that abusive behavior increases dramatically
in the teen years (age 15-18).
2. Alarmingly,
data reveals that early sexual activity appears to fuel dating violence and abuse among teenagers.
3. Today’s
tween relationship behavior may foreshadow a new wave of disturbing abuse among teens in the near future, unless something
is done to prevent it.
