A new iPhone application to help parents troubleshoot digital abuse in their teenage children’s relationships and provide information on the growing problem of teen dating abuse and violence has just been released.
Launched by fashion giant Liz Claiborne Inc., the Love Is Not Abuse app allows parents to learn about abusive behaviours by simulating text messages, phone calls, or emails typically sent by an abusive boyfriend or girlfriend.
The app also provides information on dating violence; signs of abusive behaviour; tips for parents on how to talk to their teens; and supporting links to leading organizations, support groups, and experts.
Jane Randel, Liz Claiborne’s senior vice president of corporate communications, said many parents are not up to speed on the prevalence of dating abuse among adolescents.
“Despite the fact that one in four teens are victimized through technology, our research shows that parents are dangerously out of touch with the high levels of dating violence and abuse taking place in their children’s lives,” Randel said in a release.
“By using the very same technology that threatens teens to show parents what to watch out for, we aim to put dating abuse, in all its forms, on the radar for parents. Our hope is that the app will wake parents up to the truly terrible reality of teen dating abuse and get them to talking to their kids about dating relationships—both healthy and abusive.”
A new study by the Boston University School of Public Health and supported by a grant from Liz Claiborne found that parents are far less likely to talk to their teenage children about the dangers of dating abuse than they are about issues such as sex, drugs, and alcohol.
The study, published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is the first to examine what portion of American parents have discussed dating abuse with their 11 to 15-year-old children in the past year.
Randel said technology is a tool adolescents use to exert control.
“We’ve heard of cases of teens in relationships checking up on their partner, 10, 20, even 30 times an hour,” she said.
“We tend to think of abuse as black eyes and bruises, but there is a lot more to it than that. This app allows us to show the subtleties and insidious aspects of it.”
Part of Liz Claiborne’s ongoing initiative to end domestic violence, the idea behind the app is to take advantage of newly emerging informational tools and provide a one-stop resource for parents.
The app is available for free download at the iTunes App store.
Launched by fashion giant Liz Claiborne Inc., the Love Is Not Abuse app allows parents to learn about abusive behaviours by simulating text messages, phone calls, or emails typically sent by an abusive boyfriend or girlfriend.
The app also provides information on dating violence; signs of abusive behaviour; tips for parents on how to talk to their teens; and supporting links to leading organizations, support groups, and experts.
Jane Randel, Liz Claiborne’s senior vice president of corporate communications, said many parents are not up to speed on the prevalence of dating abuse among adolescents.
“Despite the fact that one in four teens are victimized through technology, our research shows that parents are dangerously out of touch with the high levels of dating violence and abuse taking place in their children’s lives,” Randel said in a release.
“By using the very same technology that threatens teens to show parents what to watch out for, we aim to put dating abuse, in all its forms, on the radar for parents. Our hope is that the app will wake parents up to the truly terrible reality of teen dating abuse and get them to talking to their kids about dating relationships—both healthy and abusive.”
A new study by the Boston University School of Public Health and supported by a grant from Liz Claiborne found that parents are far less likely to talk to their teenage children about the dangers of dating abuse than they are about issues such as sex, drugs, and alcohol.
The study, published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is the first to examine what portion of American parents have discussed dating abuse with their 11 to 15-year-old children in the past year.
Randel said technology is a tool adolescents use to exert control.
“We’ve heard of cases of teens in relationships checking up on their partner, 10, 20, even 30 times an hour,” she said.
“We tend to think of abuse as black eyes and bruises, but there is a lot more to it than that. This app allows us to show the subtleties and insidious aspects of it.”
Part of Liz Claiborne’s ongoing initiative to end domestic violence, the idea behind the app is to take advantage of newly emerging informational tools and provide a one-stop resource for parents.
The app is available for free download at the iTunes App store.
