Dating abuse app shows parents what teens face

(CBS) Can smart phones save teens from abusive boyfriends and girlfriends? That's the idea behind a peculiar new iPhone app called "Love Is Not Abuse."

Aimed at parents, the free app provides basic facts about teen dating abuse and violence and explains how to spots signs of abuse in a teen. But it goes a step farther, giving mom and dad a taste of what it's like to be a victim of "digital dating abuse."

How does it do that? By inundating parents with threatening text messages and emails - and even harassing phone calls from a virtual boyfriend or girlfriend.

"We've heard of cases of teens in relationships checking up on their partner, 10, 20, even 30 times an hour," Jane Randel, of the clothing company Liz Claiborne, Inc., told Reuters.

The company developed the app along with the National Network to End Domestic Violence and other organizations.

Thirty calls an hour? Sounds lovely. What exactly is the point of subjecting mom or dad to such abuse?

"One of the foremost challenges in dating abuse is understanding that using power and control over a dating partner often goes beyond physical violence," Cindy Southworth, vice president of development and innovation at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, said in a written statement. "When parents know concrete examples of what can constitute dating abuse, they are better-equipped to support their children."

Research suggests that teens could use some more support. A study published in the August issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that parents are far more likely to talk to their teens about sex, drugs, and alcohol than about the dangers of dating abuse. Up to 10 percent of high school students report having been hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the past year, according to the authors.

The app can be downloaded at the iTunes story under the search term "LINA."