16 March 2026
Recent evidence shared with the House of Lords Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee highlights that nearly one in five girls aged 16–19 have experienced domestic abuse.
Speaking on behalf of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Louisa Rolfe warned that misogyny among young boys and toxic online influences are contributing to attitudes and behaviours in relationships. While some schools and organisations are running programmes to address these issues, she said “nowhere near enough” is being done.
Rolfe also highlighted a gap in how abuse affecting younger teenagers is recognised, explaining that the definition of abuse under the act “does not currently capture the under-16s experiencing abuse in their relationships, despite being the fastest-growing group of victims of domestic abuse”.
Prevention must start earlier
Police responses are crucial when abuse occurs, but as Rolfe pointed out, by the time the justice system becomes involved, the harm has often already happened.
This is why prevention is so important. Young people are forming their ideas about relationships earlier than ever, influenced by social media, peer culture, pornography and online content, as well as the relationships they see around them.
Without guidance, some young people may absorb problematic messages about power, gender, control, and what relationships should look like. Education about healthy relationships offers a different framework to help them understand these dynamics.
Through our work at LMK, we support young people to explore what healthy relationships look like. In our workshops we discuss behaviours such as trust, boundaries, equality, kindness and fun, to name a few!
We also help young people recognise warning signs of unhealthy behaviour, including controlling behaviour, constant monitoring or harassment, pressure or coercion, manipulation, and isolation from friends or family.
Many young people do not initially recognise these behaviours as abuse, particularly when they happen through phones, apps or social media. Yet digital spaces are increasingly where relationships start, develop and sometimes become problematic.
Tackling misogyny and harmful online narratives
Another key issue raised was the impact of toxic online influences on young boys. Online spaces can expose boys and young men to content that normalises misogyny, encourages entitlement or dominance in relationships, frames equality as a threat, and promotes harmful stereotypes about women and girls.
Without opportunities to question these narratives, they can influence beliefs and behaviours. We believe young people are capable of challenging these ideas when they are given the tools and safe spaces to think critically and talk openly.
A whole-society response
The rise in teenage relationship abuse shows that this issue cannot be addressed by policing alone. Prevention requires collaboration between schools, youth organisations, charities, families, communities, policymakers and online platforms.
Young people (in fact, all of us) need consistent messages about respect, consent, equality, boundaries and emotional wellbeing.
Supporting young people to build healthier futures
The encouraging thing we’ve found in our work is that young people do want to talk about relationships. When given the opportunity, they are thoughtful, curious and open to learning.
By starting these conversations early and addressing influences head-on, we can help young people and the adults around them to build healthier relationships, stronger self-awareness, and respect for themselves and others.
Want to support us to reach more young people? Find out how to donate or more about the LMK programmes on our website.