Illustrated By Austin Watts.The next time you see a friend shudder at the sound of her ringtone, she may be involved in the new wave of technological domestic violence.
What is that, you ask? Well, for starters, it's a form of abuse that's much harder to identify, because there are no visible wounds, no public screaming matches, or the standard, "I walked into the door" excuses. Instead, it’s all hidden in a text message history or an online profile.
According to The National Domestic Violence Hotline, young girls are increasingly reporting mistreatment relayed to them via their mobile devices. One victim was even subjected to a rigorous texting schedule by her boyfriend; if she didn’t text back right away, she’d wake up to his screaming voice on the phone in the middle of the night, often accusing her of cheating. Some of these boyfriends also create fake Facebook accounts to tempt their own girlfriends into talking to "other guys."
So, how can young girls avoid cyber abuse? By setting privacy boundaries like keeping their Twitter and other social media passwords locked and only sending racy selfies at their discretion, not when they feel coerced by jealous or possessive boyfriends.
The laws and social guidelines to online domestic violence are still relatively undeveloped, but luckily, organizations like Love Is Respect are already aware of it and are taking actions to help alleviate the situation. And, if this sounds like something you're going through, luckily, there's an app to help you break things off. (The Daily Beast)