1 in 3 teens face dating violence, and doctors should be on alert: Pediatric society

The Canadian Paediatric Society is urging doctors to talk to teen patients about healthy relationships and dating violence.

In new guidance issued Thursday, the society said one-third of teens in Canada experience physical, psychological, sexual or technology-related abuse — including stalking — in relationships.

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Dating violence among teens is not new, but technology like texting or social media can facilitate abusive behaviour, such as teens tracking their partners or forbidding them from communicating with friends, said Dr. Megan Harrison, chair of the society’s adolescent health committee, in an interview.

“Those types of behaviours happen to adults as well. So not just teens, but the difference is an adolescent is still, you know, forming their own identity,” she said.

“So it’s a more vulnerable time for things like that to be occurring.”

The guidance says health-care providers can normalize talking about healthy and unhealthy relationships by routinely bringing up the topic during adolescent patient visits.

“The more places where teens can feel comfortable to ask questions about relationships and to know that it’s something that they can bring up in a safe place … the better we’ll be able to prevent these unhealthy situations,” said Harrison, who is a pediatrician in the division of adolescent medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.

Harrison emphasized that doctors don’t need to have answers if a teen patient discloses a problematic relationship, but are providing a safe, non-judgmental space and then connecting them to other resources in the community as needed.

“You can really do a whole lot of good in actually what ends up being a really short period of time,” she said.

The guidance recommends doctors talk to teen patients alone during part of their visits and assure them that their conversation is confidential, unless the physician is immediately worried for their safety or the safety of someone else.

It also says doctors should share educational resources about healthy relationships and teen dating violence that their patient can keep or share with friends. The guidance provides an example for health-care providers on how to start that conversation.

“A lot of dating relationships are great experiences. But some patients have shared that they have experienced situations in their relationships that made them feel uncomfortable or even scared,” the sample script says.

“We now talk to all our patients about their relationships because they can impact health. We also provide education on this topic because it is likely you or someone you know could use it.”

If the teen discloses problematic behaviour in a relationship, the health-care provider should support them by thanking them for their trust and connecting them with other resources in the community that can help.

In some cases, that can include taking the first step with the patient, Harrison said.

“If the youth feels comfortable at that time, maybe I make a phone call with the youth in the office. Maybe I help them make an appointment if that’s what they’d like, or I sit there with them while they make the phone call, or we open up the web page together.”

If the patient is going to access resources later on their own, the guidance advises discussing the possibility that an abusive partner may track the teen’s online activity and asking if printed materials would be a safer option.

Some teens are at increased risk for dating violence, including those who are homeless or living in poverty, gender-diverse youth, Black and Indigenous female teens, and young people living in care systems, the guidance says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2026.