Teen Dating scenarios have completely transformed in the last few decades. Teenage years, which includes the age group of 13 to 17, is an essential part of development in terms of exploring relationships, developing social skills, and understanding emotional connections. However, there has been a continuous decline in the percentage of young individuals dating during their teen years.
In this article, we will examine Teen Dating Statistics to better understand how relationships work among teenagers and how many teens are dating.
Key Teen Dating Statistics
- 35% of teenagers have revealed having some form of experience in romantic relationships.
- 64% of teens have never been in a relationship.
- 8% of teenagers have stated they met their romantic partner online.
- The average age of a teen girl to start dating is reportedly 12 and a half, while for teen boys it’s 13 and a half.
- Baby Boomers are the leading generation to have dated the most in their teen years by 78%.
- Less than 2% of high-school couples marry each other.
How Many Teens Are Dating?
Teens are dating less with each passing year, and surprisingly, Gen Z has the lowest number of young individuals getting involved in a relationship. According to a survey, only 56 percent of Gen Z adults and 54% of Gen Z males have stated they have experienced a romantic relationship during their teenage years, which is the lowest compared to Baby Boomers who had 78% of individuals dating during their teen years.
When Can a Teenager Start Dating?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the average age for a teenager to start dating is 12 and a half for girls and 13 and a half for boys. However, every teen is different and often has a different perspective towards dating. While the average age to start dating is stated to be 12 and 13, many teenagers prefer to wait longer and start getting involved with others by the age of 16 or 17, which is perfectly fine.
How Long Do Teenage Relationships Last?
Teenage Relationships can either last a day or a week to an entire lifetime. There are many cases where high school sweethearts or young lovers have walked down the aisle and stayed together for decades. However, according to statistics and facts, the chances of a relationship that started in the teenage years is less than a 2% chance of transforming into a marriage.
Also, of teen couples who do get married only 50% of them make it to their 10-year anniversary. One of the primary reasons behind teenage relationships not lasting long is because of the changes that appear among individuals during teen and young adult years both inside and out. This makes it difficult for people to stay together as teens often lack emotional maturity and aren’t able to make it through the various challenges that appear in a long-term relationship.
35% of Teens have experienced romantic Relationships
A survey done by Pew Research revealed the relationship status of teenagers. It was found that around 64% of the teens have never been in a relationship, while 35% of teenagers were revealed to have been involved in a romantic relationship. The rest 1% refused to reveal their relationship status.
| Teen Dating status | Share of respondents |
| Have never been in a relationship | 64% |
| Have some experience in romantic relationships | 35% |
| Declined to provide their relationship status | 1% |
Out of 35% of users who have experienced some type of romantic relationship, only 14% claimed to be in a serious relationship with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Surprisingly, 5% of respondents claim they are in a relationship but not in a serious one. While 16% of the respondents stated they are currently not dating.
| Current relationship status | Share of respondents |
| Are in serious relationship | 14% |
| Are in relationship, but not in a serious one | 5% |
| Currently not dating | 16% |
8% of American Teens have met their romantic partner online
A Survey by Pew Research Center revealed that most American teens have met their romantic partners offline. While 8% of the American teens claimed to have met and connected with their partners through online mediums such as Facebook or other social media apps.
Teen Dating Statistics by Generation
There has been a constant decline in dating among teenagers. A survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life revealed that 54% of Gen Z men have stated being involved in romantic relationships at some point in their teenage years, which is surprisingly the lowest compared to other generations. Around 66% of Millennials claimed to be involved in romantic relationships during their teenage years, along with 76% of the Gen X men stating the same. Baby Boomers are the leading generation with the highest number of teens involved in romantic relationships during their teen years 78%. Around 44% of Gen Z men have stated that they have never dated anyone during their teen years.
Below we have mentioned a table showcasing statistics on teen dating among different generations:
| Generation | Date most of the teen years | Dated some of my teen years | Never Date anyone during my teens |
| Gen Z | 14% | 40% | 44% |
| Millennials | 22% | 44% | 32% |
| Gen X | 27% | 49% | 23% |
| Baby Boomers | 32% | 46% | 20% |
Percentage of 12th graders who had ever gone on a date
A survey was conducted among over half a million 12th graders between the years 1990 to 2016 to understand the dating scenarios of high schoolers over the years. Surprisingly there has been a regular decline in the percentage of 12th graders who have ever gone on a date. Between 1990 and 1995 around 84% of the respondents revealed they had gone on a date and ever since the numbers have been witnessing a constant drop. From 1995 to 1999 it was 81% and cut to the years between 2010 to 2016 the percentage of 12th graders who went on a date reached 63%.
Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the percentage of 12th graders who had ever gone on a date:
| Year | Share of respondents |
| 1990 to 1994 | 84% |
| 1995 to 1999 | 81% |
| 2000 to 2004 | 76% |
| 2005 to 2009 | 71% |
| 2010 to 2016 | 63% |
Teen Dating and Technology
In the digital era, technology plays a significant role in teenagers’ lives. It helps them connect with their significant other, and in some cases, the start of the relationship can be through social media. In this section, we are going to take a look at the statistics related to teen dating and technology.
- 50% of teens claim they have used social media to flirt with people or signal them a romantic interest.
- 92% of teens who are in a relationship tend to stay connected with each other through text messages, while 70% of teenagers spend their time together on social media.
- 60% of teens claim social media helps them feel more connected with their partners.
- More than 60% of teenagers with dating experience have sent “flirty” messages to those whom they were interested.
- 47% of teens have showcased their attraction by liking, commenting on, and interacting with a person on social media.
- 65% of teen boys say that social media helps make them feel more comfortable and connected with their romantic partner’s life, compared to 52% of teen girls.
- 50% of boys claim social media helps them feel more emotionally connected to their partner compared to 37% of teen girls.
Top three reasons behind the decline in Teen Dating
Clearly, there has been a massive decline in the number of teenagers dating over the last few decades. Apparently, technology, parental supervision, and changing norms are considered the top three primary reasons behind this decline.
Immersive technology: Video games, smartphones, and other advanced technology have transformed the social landscape among the youth, especially teenage boys. 50% of teen boys claim they play video games on a regular basis with their friends. Online socializing has replaced real-world hangouts which has led to teens having fewer friends which leads to fewer dates as well.
Parental supervision: Even though technology is majorly responsible for keeping teenagers stuck towards online socializing, parenting also plays a significant role in this matter. Since parents are much more involved in their children’s lives in today’s time compared to the previous generation, supporting excessive usage of technology has resulted in teenagers spending more time accessing their smartphones and technology instead of going out and meeting people in person.
Changing Priorities: One of the most strongest and common reasons behind a constant decline in teen dating is teenagers not viewing relationships as a priority. Various surveys show that young people tend to keep marriage and relationships in the last position when it comes to their priorities. In addition, the preferred age to marry has also witnessed a major shift in the last few decades. In 2020, over 50% of Americans considered late 20s or higher as the “ideal” age to get married.
Teen Dating Violence Statistics
Teen Dating Violence is one of the most concerning issues faced by millions of teenagers worldwide. In this section, we are going to take a look at statistics related to teen dating violence.
Top Teen Dating Violence Statistics
- Around 1.5 million high school students have experienced physical abuse from their partner in a single year nationwide.
- 1 in 10 high school students has been purposefully slapped, hit, or hurt physically by their partners.
- 1 in 3 teenage girls in the United States has experienced physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from their partner.
- Only 33% of the teens who were in an unhealthy relationship revealed facing abuse.
U.S. students who experienced teen dating violence, by gender
A survey was conducted among high school students in the United States to understand the percentage of students who suffer from teen dating violence. The survey revealed that 19% of female students have experienced teen dating violence. While the share of male students who experienced teen dating violence is 8.2% in the United States.
| Gender | Share of Students |
| Female | 19% |
| Male | 8.2% |
| Average | 13.6% |
Source: Statista
U.S. students who experienced teen dating violence, by race and ethnicity
A survey was conducted among high school students to find out the share of students experiencing teen dating violence by race and ethnicity in the U.S. It was revealed that the leading ethnicity to experience teen dating violence was American Indian or Alaska Native by 18.5% of students. Followed by Multiracial in the second position with 16.1% of students and White students in the third position with 14.9%.
Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the percentage of U.S. students experiencing teen dating violence by race and ethnicity.
| Ethnicity | Share of students |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 18.5% |
| Multiracial | 16.1% |
| White | 14.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 13.2% |
| Black or African American | 9.7% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 9.4% |
| Asian | 7.2% |
Source: Statista
U.S. students who experienced teen dating violence, by sexual identity
According to a survey, Bisexual is the leading sexual identity who have experienced the highest amount of teen dating violence by 26% in the United States. The percentage of heterosexual students who have experienced violence is 10% and for lesbian or gay students it’s 17%.
Below we have mentioned a table showcasing the percentage of students who have experienced teen dating violence by sexual identity in the United States:
| Sexual Identity | Share of students |
| Heterosexual | 10% |
| Lesbian or gay | 17% |
| Bisexual | 26% |
| Questioning | 21.1% |
| Other | 29.9% |
| Average | 13.6% |
Source: Statista
FAQs
What percentage of 17 to 19-year-olds have never had experience with romantic relationships?
10% of 17 to 19-year-olds have never had experience with romantic relationships during their teenage years.
Are relationships at 17 serious?
The seriousness of a relationship completely depends on the person. Although 17 can be a naive age where individuals usually lack maturity.
How many percent of teens have experienced romantic relationships?
35% of teens have experienced romantic relationships in their life. While only 14% claimed to be in a serious relationship.
Is it okay to be in a relationship at 14?
While it’s a personal decision, most pediatricians suggest teenagers wait until they are 16 to begin a romantic relationship with a partner.
Wrapping Up
The dating scenario among teenagers has changed in the last few decades as the majority of teens don’t consider dating a priority in today’s time. Advanced technology and social media have made teens more grounded and pushed them away from the entire socializing scenario. Looking at the above-mentioned statistics, the dating percentage among teens is expected to decrease in the coming years, especially with the AI technology and its capability to provide virtual relationship experience in today’s date. Therefore, we can expect the number of teen dating to decrease with time.
