We've all heard of dating abuse, but what about digital dating abuse? Yep, it exists. And it's causing young people more stress than ever these days. MTV's A Thin Line has worked for over a year to address this issue. Here's what we've learned about digital dating abuse and how you can take action to end it:

The Facts: Digital dating abuse is any form of abusive behavior between partners that happens through a digital medium (Facebook, text message, email, etc). Repeated text messaging, hacking or spying on a social network page or email account, or even pressuring someone into sending a sexually explicit text message are all forms of digital dating abuse.

The Numbers: According to the 2009 MTV/AP digital abuse study, 22% of young people feel as if their significant other checks up on them too often. Over 10% of teens have had a partner demand their passwords from them and 17% have felt threatened or manipulated online. Nearly 20% of those who received a sext shared it with someone else and more 50% of young adults who've shared a sext have shared it with multiple people.

Digital dating abuse is not to be taken lightly. Experts target this sort of behavior as a precursor to physical violence between partners. In the worst cases, it has even led to death.

There are specific ways you can put an end to digital dating abuse if you are experiencing it:

+ Communicate. If you don't like what's going down online or in IMs or texts, talk to your partner about which behaviors are bugging you.

+ Keep your passwords on lockdown. Your passwords are yours for a reason--so it's best to keep them to yourself. It's ok not to share everything with your significant other. In fact, a little privacy every now and then is healthy!

+ Trust your gut. If you don't like or feel threatened by something your partner sends you in a text or IM, or anywhere online, tell a parent, teacher, friend or someone else who can help you.

+ Report it. If your BF/GF's actions are getting OC (with threats, demands, etc) reporting to site admins or the police is 100% the right thing to do.

+ Draw your line. No need to settle for relationships that don't give you any breathing room. If your inboxes are overflowing with unwanted messages, take control! Delete, de-friend, and defend your domain.

**This guest post was provided by our partners at MTV's A Thin Line Campaign. If you need more resources, A Thin Line has them. You can learn more and talk with others about digital abuse on their Facebook or Twitter pages.