Last week, TAG talked to teens about what makes relationships healthy. Some of the top tips were love, communication, caring, and trust. So what makes relationships unhealthy? Here’s what the teens had to say.
What makes a relationship unhealthy?
“Unhealthy relationships make you feel suffocated. It is also bad when someone limits what you can do and who you can see.”
— Anna, 17
“Sometimes people just think physical abuse is unhealthy, but verbal abuse is also really bad. So is breaking promises and being unfaithful.”
— Ben, 19
“You shouldn’t depend on the other person for happiness — you have to be happy from within.”
— Alex, 18
“There are a lot of things that are unhealthy. One is being forced to do things you don’t want to do. Others are if someone ever threatens you, is dishonest, tells lies, or cheats on you.”
— Jessly, 16
“Not feeling like you can express your feelings with someone is a sign that there are problems and the relationship isn’t that solid.”
— Carolina, 15
“Distrust makes a relationship unhealthy and weak. Another real problem is when one person has more power than another person.”
— Roman, 17
“Abuse, cheating, and lies are some signs that a relationship is not healthy.”
— Jordan, 18
“A relationship is unhealthy when there is no love and your partner doesn’t respect you or is rude to you and puts you down.”
— Stephanie, 17
“Not communicating, not trusting someone, and not paying attention to the other person’s feelings are unhealthy — especially if you are dating.”
— Daniel, 17
“When a partner is too clingy and can’t do anything alone or doesn’t want you to do anything without them.”
— Liz, 16
“If either partner is exploited or taken advantage of, then it is unhealthy.”
— Stephanie, 16
“If there is mistrust or secrets in the relationship, then it is doomed. Also, if one partner pressures the other, it is unhealthy.”
— Jason, 17
“Abuse is a sign of an unhealthy relationship. It is also unhealthy when the other person makes you sad all the time.”
— Stephanie, 15
“If one person betrays the other consistently and they still stay together, it’s probably not a sign that the relationship is very strong.”
— Javier, 15
“When someone avoids dealing with issues or won’t be honest about a problem.”
— Joey, 17
“Long-distance relationships aren’t always unhealthy, but they can be more likely to have problems. Another problem is when friends butt into a relationship and cause problems. ”
— Ashton, 18
“Dishonesty and cheating are unhealthy. ”
— Anton, 16
“Manipulation, dishonesty, a lack of trust, not enough time spent together, and being disloyal are not healthy.”
— Natalie, 16
“Physical and mental abuse are obviously unhealthy, but so is not understanding each other, not being there for each other, and not trusting each other. ”
— Emiliya, 17