In an article for Community Care, independent safeguarding reviewer Donna Ohdedar examines how teenage relationship abuse can go unrecognised by professionals, particularly when controlling behaviour is dismissed as jealousy or typical teenage relationship difficulties.
Key findings include:

• A 2024 Youth Endowment Fund survey found that 49% of 13 to 17-year-olds who had been in a romantic relationship in the previous year had experienced violent or controlling behaviour.
• Among those surveyed who had been in a relationship, 27% reported being afraid to disagree with their partner, while 26% said their partner had made them feel scared to end the relationship.
• Technology can enable abuse through constant messaging, location monitoring and threats to share intimate images, making it important to consider young people’s online and offline experiences together.

The article calls on safeguarding professionals to examine the language used in case records, discuss teenage coercive control in supervision and case audits, and recognise patterns of online abuse. It also highlights existing programmes helping young people identify warning signs and access support.