For Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM) in February, The Advocates Every Teen Counts (ETCs) interns created “Reel Love”, a short film that dives into the misconceptions that the media can portray about relationships. The ETCs are a group of paid teen interns in the valley dedicated to creating positive social change through peer education, including how to navigate relationships.

One out of three teenagers experience dating abuse before they become adults. Misconceptions in the media, such as normalized toxic relationships, ranging from unhealthy to abusive, can dissuade young people from understanding that what they are experiencing is not healthy. Oftentimes teens don’t have the media literacy to differentiate between a realistic and unrealistic narrative on screen. Our short film recognizes this in a satirical and educational way, teaching teens what to look for.

By releasing “Reel Love”, the ETCs hope to raise awareness to this issue, as well as educate teenagers so less will suffer from dating abuse in the future.