When Puppy Love Turns Toxic

And they call it puppy love...Sometimes young love isn't all roses.  In fact, experts at Atlanta's nonprofit Youth Villages claim there's a dark side to puppy love.  In the U.S. approximately one in three teenage girls "is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner."  

Other scary, noteworthy findings:

• One in four teen girls in a relationship says she has been threatened with violence or experienced verbal abuse, and 13 percent of teens say they were physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
• Forty-five percent of girls know a friend or peer who has been pressured into having intercourse or oral sex.

Bullying isn't the only derisive behaviour facilitated by increased use of the Internet, social media and cell phones.  One in five teen girls admitted to posting electronically nude or nearly nude photos or videos of herself.

Terrifying news for modern parents.  Clinical program manager for Youth Villages, Kristin Landers, says more than ever it's vital to keep the lines of communication open.  It's crucial at this stage to know who your tween's and teen's friends are.  

"You may have to step in and help the child reduce his or her relationship with a peer who you think is negative or damaging. That's very difficult. It's easier to promote positive relationships early and nourish those relationships through the teen years."

Landers also claims it's never too early to lay down the ground rules about dating and relationships—starting as early as age 9 or 10, and certainly no later than 12.

"Be sure to look for 'teaching moments' —such as a congressman who is forced to resign after sending a provocative photo. These events become lessons in the bad things that can happen when actions aren't thought through. You can discuss incidents that are in the news, behavior of TV stars, scenes in movies, anything that will inspire conversation and help you reinforce your values message."

Aside from randomly checking your teen's cell phone, and remind them that sexting is illegal, and that oral sex is still sex.  

Above all, says Landers, "be sure your teens understand that they have the right to say no." 

If you find yourself at a loss for words when it comes to birds and sexy bees, enlist the help of thatsnotcool.org for humorous videos about digital media and relationships.

Be vigilant for "changes in eating or sleeping patterns, excessive worry or preoccupation with what a boyfriend or girlfriend thinks, a drop in grades and isolation from old friends." 

Even puppy love can turn toxic.