Responding to the 2025 Youth Endowment Fund Survey, Ellie Butt, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Refuge, said:
“This year’s survey data from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), showing high rates of domestic abuse among teenagers, is deeply alarming – though sadly not surprising. At Refuge, our frontline services see every day how domestic abuse impacts the lives of young people, often with devastating consequences for their long-term mental health and wellbeing.
“It is horrific that as many as two in five teenagers in relationships report experiencing emotional or physical abuse, including control, pressure or violence. Romantic relationships should be a safe place where young people can flourish as individuals and have healthy formative experiences of intimacy. Instead, far too many early relationships are marked by abuse. Earlier this year, Refuge reported a concerning rise in domestic abuse among young women and girls aged 16–25, particularly psychological abuse, coercive control and physical violence.
“Coercive control is increasingly being carried out through technology. Teenagers in the YEF study reported high rates of emotional and tech-facilitated abuse, including partners checking their phones or social media (19%) and monitoring their location (14%). These findings mirror the growing but often hidden crisis of tech-facilitated abuse we are seeing on the frontline. Referrals to Refuge’s Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment Team alone rose by 62% in the first nine months of 2025 compared with the same period last year.
“Concerningly, a UK-wide poll conducted by Refuge in March revealed that young people are less likely to spot the signs of abuse than other age groups, meaning abuse can go unseen and unreported. Tech-facilitated abuse is especially likely to go unnoticed by young people, amid the normalisation of behaviours such as location tracking and demands to see a partner’s phone.
“We urgently need the Government’s upcoming VAWG strategy to include investment in high-quality, trauma-informed sex and relationships education, along with policy measures to tackle tech-facilitated abuse. This must be backed by sustainable funding for the VAWG sector and for specialist services like Refuge that provide lifesaving support to survivors.”
At Refuge, we want all young people to know that abuse is not love – and you deserve to be safe. If you are worried that you or someone you know may be experiencing abuse, Refuge is here for you.
