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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors

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• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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For You

• Teenagers

Summary

Teen violence refers to harmful behaviors that can start early and continue into young adulthood. The young person can be a victim, an offender, or a witness to the violence.

Violent acts can include

• Bullying
• Fighting, including punching, kicking, slapping, or hitting
• Use of weapons such as guns or knives

Some violent acts can cause more emotional harm than physical harm. Others can lead to serious injury or even death.

An important risk factor for violence in teens is the behavior of their friends and classmates. You should know who your kids hang out with and encourage healthy behavior and relationships.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Common Reactions After Trauma (National Center for PTSD) Also in Spanish
• Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Disasters and Other Traumatic Events: What Parents, Rescue Workers, and the Community Can Do (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
• Understanding Violent Behavior in Children and Adolescents (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Children's Threats: When Are They Serious? (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish
• Expect Respect: Healthy Relationships (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Children and Firearms (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish
• Children and TV Violence (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish
• Preventing Teen Dating Violence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• School Violence and the News (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Sexual Harassment and Sexual Bulllying (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)
• Teen Dating Violence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Specifics

• Violence (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)

Statistics and Research

• Highlights of the 2012 National Youth Gang Survey (Department of Justice)
• Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2017 (Department of Education)
• Preventing School Violence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Youth Violence: Facts at a Glance (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Teen Violence (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: School Violence towards Peers and Teen Dating Violence: The Mediating Role...
• Article: Individual, Familial, and Socio-Environmental Risk Factors of Gang Membership in a...
• Article: Social and Behavioral Health Factors Associated with Violent and Mature Gaming...
• Teen Violence -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)
• National Institute of Mental Health

Teenagers

• Date Rape (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)
• Should You Worry about School Violence? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Youth and Teens Page (National Runaway Safeline)