Millennials and Digital Dating Abuse

As the mother of a Millennial, I became concerned when I read the results of the annual Truth About Abuse Survey conducted by Mary Kay.  Yes, I'm talking about the same Mary Kay Company that created an empire by making women of all ages look beautiful and developed many entrepreneurs who show off their financial success with their trademark pink cars.

The survey implies there is a new epidemic spreading among our young people and it's called Digital Dating Abuse.  So exactly what is this type of abuse?  According to The Women's Freedom Center website, Digital Dating Abuse is "a form of verbal and/or emotional abuse, which can include unwanted repeated calls or text messages, pressure to send nude or private pictures or videos, and the use of social media networking sites to bully, harass, stalk or intimidate a girlfriend/boyfriend.

Some of the signs of digital dating abuse include a boyfriend or girlfriend who:

• Tells you who you can or cannot be friends with on Facebook or other sites
• Sends you negative, unwanted, insulting or even threatening email, Facebook messages, tweets or other online messages
• Uses social media sites to keep constant tabs on you and constantly criticizing you
•   Looks through your phone frequently, checks up on your pictures, texts and outgoing calls.  

• According to the Mary Kay survey, 1 in 4 young people say they have personally experienced digital dating abuse.  So if you are a parent reading this, that means your adult daughter could very well be a victim or the young adult of one of your friends. 

• 69 percent of young people believe their peer group is more likely to tolerate abusive behavior online than in person.
• 60 percent say they would not tell a parent or guardian if they were experiencing digital dating abuse.
• 76 percent of college students say they have been victims of abuse, compared to 61 percent of high school students.

The 2017 survey is part of Mary Kay's Don't Look Away campaign which works to educate the public on recognizing the signs of an abusive relationship.  

Parents BEWARE!