Surge in domestic abuse among teenagers blamed on rise of the ‘manosphere’

A teenage girl has been identified as being driven to end her own life because of domestic abuse for the first time, with ‘toxic influencers’ and violent porn blamed for a worrying rise in abuse among teenagers.

The number of domestic abuse victims taking their own lives has outstripped the number being killed by an intimate partner for the third consecutive year – and nearly doubled in the past year.

There were 150 suspected cases where abuse victims ended their lives in the year to March 2025 – up from 98 in the previous 12 months. The Domestic Homicide Project report recorded 80 intimate partner killings.

Teenagers aged 16 to 19 are now the fastest growing age group to report suffering domestic abuse, figures show.

And for the first time, the annual Crime Survey for England and Wales includes a case of suicide following domestic abuse where both the victim and suspect were aged under 18.

Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, the national policing lead for domestic abuse, said access to violent pornography and ‘toxic influencers’ online may be fuelling abuse cases among teenagers.

She said: ‘People are now much more likely to access violent pornography which normalises violence and behaviour in a relationship, and particularly non-fatal strangulation, (which is) hugely dangerous.

‘We see the connection between the sort of sense of toxic influencers online and their sort of views that are promoted about women and women’s status in society.’

Last month, more than 60 Labour MPs wrote to the broadcasting regulator’s chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, on Tuesday, saying they are ‘gravely concerned’ about the risk posed to teenage boys online, such as ‘far-right political radicalisation’, violent pornography, and ‘misogynist influencers’.

There have been four reported cases of suicides where the victim was under 16 and the perpetrator was over 18 – three an adult family member, and one an intimate partner.

Tim Woodhouse, a suicide prevention programme manager who is undertaking a PhD examining domestic abuse-related suicides, told Metro: ‘Every suicide by a victim of domestic abuse is tragic, but there is extra pain and poignancy when someone so young dies.

‘The rise in teenagers reporting domestic abuse is very concerning but it reinforces the need for additional effort and resources to go into prevention and early intervention. And that must include measures to keep these young people safe from suicide as well as safe from their perpetrators.’

In the five years of the annual Domestic Homicide Project, which analyses police recorded domestic homicides, 414 were intimate partner homicide, 227 were adult familial homicide, 553 were suicide following domestic abuse, 131 were unexpected deaths, 86 child deaths and 41 classed as other.

Mr Woodhouse said the rise in the number of domestic abuse-related suicides ‘is a national scandal that is largely being ignored’.

He repeated calls for a national task force specifically aimed at reducing the number, adding: ‘Without a co-ordinated response, our country’s attempts to reduce the numbers of these tragic deaths will continue to be piecemeal and ineffective.’

Campaigners also want a new law to make suicide following domestic abuse a specific criminal offence separate from manslaughter, to make it easier for juries to understand.

There have been two high profile cases involving suicides allegedly caused by abuse in the past 18 months which both resulted in verdicts of not guilty in relation to manslaughter charges.

Frank Mullane from support service Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse said: ‘We need a new law which separates suicide from domestic abuse, from manslaughter.

‘I’m speculating that the average juror sees manslaughter as maybe a punch-up in a car park, other types of killing.

‘I think if we separate suicide from domestic abuse, it will help educate the public.’

Mr Woodhouse told Metro there is a causal link between domestic abuse and suicide in some cases.

He said: ‘Suicide is always complicated, and for some people there may be other things that contribute to the suicide attempt, however for many victims the overwhelming nature of the abuse, which may have been going on for months and years, the pain from the physical and sexual abuse, the coercive control which leads to isolation from friends and family all adds up to feelings of hopelessness and entrapment which means that they believe suicide is the only escape.’

In the past five years, there have been 17 cases where domestic abuse charges have been brought after a victim took their own life, three of which investigated possible manslaughter.

There are expected to be seven more posthumous cases, and the number of these investigations is expected to rise.

No jury in England and Wales has ever convicted someone of manslaughter after a case of suicide involving domestic abuse.

In total, 1,452 deaths linked to domestic abuse were recorded over a five-year period, and 347 deaths in the year to March 2025.

This is an increase of 85 deaths from the previous year, most of which are suspected suicides following domestic abuse.

Police believe this is down to increased recording of such cases rather than a rise in the number of crimes being committed.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said: ‘Every life lost to domestic abuse is a devastating tragedy, and my thoughts are with families and loved ones left grieving.

‘I welcome this important report, which highlights the link between domestic abuse and suicide, and reinforces the need for tougher action to stop perpetrators causing harm.

‘Our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy sets out how we are rooting out the causes of domestic abuse-related deaths and deploying the full power of the state to crack down on these vile crimes.’

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