Common Dating Terms Youth Use
At love is respect, we use the gender-neutral term “partners” to refer to people in intimate relationships. However, youth might use a different term for their relationships depending on the circumstances, such as:
Cuffing often refers to ‘cuffing season,’ when people tend to partner up for the winter months, like a dating hibernation.
Pocketing is when someone keeps a person, they are dating separate, or “pocketed,” from the rest of their life. For example, not introducing them to their friends, inviting them to events, or mentioning their relationship on social media.
Hanging out or “dating without dating” is when two people spend time together, but neither is committed to anything serious.
Talking is when two people are romantically interested in each other but are not dating or “hanging out.”
Breadcrumbing involves sending flirtatious, sporadic, and non-committal text messages to keep a romantic interest alive without effort.
Ghosting is when someone ends all contact without explanation — profile unmatched, messages unanswered, calls avoided.
Situantionship is a romantic or sexual relationship where both partners do not clearly define the relationship status.
The terms are new, but one thing that never changes is how important it is for young people to have parents and other adults in their lives that they trust . Youth need to hear our thoughts and perspectives, and even though they probably won’t acknowledge it, they do look to parents and other adults for guidance. As adults it is our responsibility to open the conversation door.
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