One out of five teens say they are currently in a relationship, where teens (ages 13-17) claim to have dated or been in a romantic relationship with someone at some point in their life.

14% said they would categorize their relationship as serious. With that being said, what are the positives and negatives when it comes to teen dating?

Positive

Dating among teens can have a positive effect on the way they act in school, how they interact with other people, and their self esteem. Many teens struggle with self esteem, often talking down on themselves or they see themselves as not attractive, overweight, not built, or even think they need surgery to fix something they don’t like. Being in a relationship could help with these thoughts, giving them reassurance that someone else see’s something in them that they don’t see in them self. Another positive effect dating could have is it could help the individual discover more about who they are as a person. They discover what they want and don’t want in a partner, how they want to be treated and how they want the relationship to go.

Negative

Dating can take a turn for the worst if teens don’t look for the negative ways a relationship could effect their life. Is the relationship interfering with grades and school or friends or family, or are you suddenly making choices that you wouldn’t have before? If the relationship causes you to lose track of your responsibility, to neglect relationships with your family or friends, or if you are not making good choices it could be unhealthy. Some examples of this are unsafe sexual behavior, drug or alcohol use, abuse or mental health problems, or other delinquent type activities. These negative effects can cause serious problems.