Also called: Youth violence
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Teen Violence
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
It sits within Children and Teenagers and Social/Family Issues.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Teen Violence
160 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Evaluation of State-Level Sexual and Gender Minority Laws for the Primary Prevention of Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth in the U.S.University of California, Berkeley
- Community Resiliency Collective Efficacy InterventionUniversity of Pittsburgh
- Caregiver-Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention Intervention Pilot TrialUniversity of Pittsburgh
- Pathways to Improved Adolescent Mental Health in Conflict Affected FamiliesJohns Hopkins University
- Changing Youth Narratives on Firearm Violence ("Run It Up") InterventionGeorge Washington University
- A Hospital-based Intervention for Youth Injured Through ViolenceVirginia Commonwealth University
Research already completed
- Juntos: A Pilot Test of a Dating Violence Intervention for Latine FamiliesUniversity of Pittsburgh
- Virtual-reality and Emotion Regulation in Violence-Exposed YouthUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison
- Integrating Project YES! With WHO-Endorsed Mental Health Approaches Among Youth Living With HIVJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- School Based Program to Prevent Teen Dating ViolenceThe University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
- Testing the Efficacy of Safe South AfricaBrown University
- Evaluation of Teen Connection Project for Trans and Gender Minority YouthUniversity of Michigan
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Common Reactions After TraumaNational Center for PTSD
- Helping Children and Adolescents Cope With Traumatic EventsNational Institute of Mental Health
- Violent Behavior in Children and AdolescentsAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Expect Respect: Healthy RelationshipsAmerican Academy of Pediatrics
- Threats by Children: When Are They Serious?American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Related Issues
- About Teen Dating ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Children and Guns/FirearmsAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Screen Violence and ChildrenAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Sexual HarassmentNemours Foundation
- Teen Dating Violence and Drug UseDrug Enforcement Administration
Statistics and Research
- About School ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Highlights of the 2012 National Youth Gang SurveyDepartment of Justice
- Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2023Department of Education
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance SystemCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Teen ViolenceNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Adolescent Behavior, Violence. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Teen Violence, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.