Love is respect - National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline » Media

MTV News Premieres “Sexting in America: When Privates Go Public”

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:00:52 +0000

Be sure to tune in to MTV tonight for the premiere of Sexting in America: When Privates Go Public. The news special is premiering on Valentine’s Day as part of MTV’s A Thin Line campaign to stop the spread of digital abuse. Celebrities such as Boys Like Girls, Michelle Trachtenburg, All Time Low and Asher Roth have also teamed up with MTV to spread awareness and will be appearing right before the start of the show. Be sure to check out the MTV News special tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Riot the Silence Highlights

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:04:08 +0000

There is a great highlights video we wanted to share with you from the Start Strong Austin Kick Off event for Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Recorded at the Carver Museum, this video spotlights all the great entertainment acts and performances from the event. For those of you unable to attend the event, check out the video after the jump.

Attorney General Abbott warns Texas teens about social and legal dangers of sexting

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:38:01 +0000

Sexting, the most under-reported crime of teen dating violence is a huge topic of discussion during National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott paid a visit to the Helpline today to warn Texas teens and parents about the dangers of sexting. He also encouraged teens to contact loveisrespect when encountering peer pressure to participate in sexting. There are five helpful tips that should be considered before sending explicit photos or messages:

-Do not assume anything sent or posted is going to remain private.
-Anything sent or posted in cyberspace will never truly go away.
-Do not give in to the pressure to do something that causes discomfort, even in cyberspace.
-Consider the recipient’s reaction.
-Nothing is truly anonymous.

loveisrespect advocate Megan Guilbeaux was also on hand today to offer her perspective. She mentioned that “teens are being pressured into taking pictures that can be embarrassing or revealing. A boyfriend or girlfriend often threatens that if you don’t take the picture, I will find someone else who will. It’s that kind of harassment and hurtful threats that teens are pressured into doing today and they need advice.”

Remember, loveisrespect is always here to help you out with your relationship problem, so if you are ever in a situation like this, we are just one phone call or chat away!

Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:26:43 +0000

As you all know this is the first year that Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention is being honored for a whole month instead of the first week of February as it has been in the past. This is largely thanks to the support and influence of several U.S. Senators as well as Vice President Joe Biden. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Joseph Lieberman(I-CT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have been huge supporters of moving the awareness up to a month and we are very grateful for their hard work. We have a video clip of the Senators along with Attorney General Tom Perelli discussing teen dating violence awareness and prevention after the jump, so check it out!

Texting 4 Life

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:09:16 +0000

The Pregones Theater in Bronx, NY is featuring an awesome play about dating relationships. Texting 4 Life is a 15 minute play that follows a young couple as they both navigate their relationship through technology. Developed through creative workshops with Bronx middle school students, the play is interactive and allows young audience members help determine the outcome. This allows participants to think critically about dating, the social uses of technology and healthy relationship habits, so pretty much the kind of issues we all deal with in the dating world. Performances are followed by a talk with qualified counselors and peer educators. The Pregones Theater has two performances coming up on February 8th and 19th at 5 p.m., so if you happen to live in the area, be sure to check them out. Click here to visit their site and also check out the following news articles:

Familyresourceny.com

Nydailynews.com

Katie Couric addresses teen dating violence on her new show

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:13:12 +0000

Did anyone catch Katie Couric’s new web show @katiecouric yesterday? They featured a teen dating violence segment and took an in depth look at the serious issues teens face in the dating world. A recap of a previous CBS broadcast about teen dating violence was shown where Katie spoke with real teens about their past experiences with dating violence which was followed by a chat with teen dating violence experts Jane Randel and Catherine Pierce. Click here to check out the full show.

Tina’s Law adopted to prevent teen dating violence

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:11:09 +0000

Ohio is on the right path to helping prevent teen dating abuse. A Bill has been passed requiring Ohio schools to try to help stop dating violence. Local school boards will be required to adopt policies to prevent and address abusive relationships and train staff on the subject. Lessons in dating violence prevention will also be added to seventh through 12th grade health classes. The new law has been called “Tina’s Law” named after an 18-year old in Ohio who was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1992.

Back in March, Break the Cycle released a report card grading states based on their laws related to domestic violence and teen dating violence. Ohio had received an “F” but with these new changes, they are well on their way to passing with flying colors this year. Check out more about this story here.

MTV Addresses Physical Fight on “Jersey Shore”

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:16:31 +0000

You all may have heard the buzz about a horrible scene in an upcoming episode of MTV’s reality show Jersey Shore where a female gets punched by a male at the bar. Shocking footage of the incident has been circulating online and MTV has decided to run a domestic violence PSA after the episode airs.

loveisrespect CEO Sheryl Cates has also released a statement condoning MTV’s decision to air the scene. “We applaud MTV for partnering with us to provide resources and help to members of their audience who may be experiencing violence in their relationships or lives.”

loveisrespect on CBS News

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:20:34 +0000

Not sure if you caught us on the news last night but CBS Evening News with Katie Couric paid a visit to loveisrespect for its coverage of escalating violence in teen relationships. The news crew observed the peer advocates at work as they answered staged chats and calls to get a better glimpse at how everything works. Teen dating violence is a huge issue and loveisrespect has seen a 600 percent increase in calls and chats since 2007.

Technology is a big factor in all of this. There are so many new and different methods being used in abusive relationships such as texting, email and social networking sites like Facebook. Sheryl Cates, CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and loveisrespect spoke with the CBS crew and mentioned how technology has changed the dynamics of the abuse we are seeing. Check out the full story here or click here to watch the video.

MTV launches “A THIN LINE” initiative to decrease spread of digital abuse

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:17:30 +0000

We are so excited to announce that our live chat function will be featured as a direct link on MTV’s website. This will occur as part of MTV’s “A THIN LINE.” This initiative seeks to empower youth to identify, respond to and stop the spread of digital abuse. Digital abuse refers to behaviors such as sexting, cyber-bullying and digital dating abuse. According to a study released by MTV and the Associated Press, 50 percent of 14-24 year olds have been the target of some form of digital abuse, and 3 in 10 have engaged in “sexting.” If you haven’t experienced this abuse yourself, there is a good chance one of your close friends has.

MTV’s “A THIN LINE” will be putting out a lot of on-air specials, PSAs and a lot of cool online and mobile tools. We are proud to partner with MTV on this initiative with other digital abuse experts including Facebook, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Liz Claiborne, Inc., DoSomething.org and more. Their website has really fun features including an interactive quiz, a “Redraw the Line Challenge” and great resources, so be sure to check out ATHINLINE.org!