PRO: High school relationships are infamous for being short, but does the fact that they are short-term completely trump their significance? According to Huffpost, only about 2% of new marriages in North America are high school sweethearts, but the significance of high school relationships can go beyond the length of it.

Having a relationship in high school can teach you valuable lessons for later on in life. Teens have the opportunity now to figure out what they want in a significant other, as well as what to look out for. Especially in an environment that is filled with your peers, this is the perfect place to experiment with relationships and experience the red flags that will guide teens in the future when dating can become more dangerous as people start online dating. 

Online dating can be a dangerous game because people can easily be dishonest about identity which can lead to often told horror stories such as date-rape.

Jasmine Vella has been in a high school relationship since sophomore year with her significant other. In her opinion, high school relationships are a big part of growing up,

“It’s cool experiencing the same things with your significant other because you’re in high school.” 

High school can be tough as teens are beginning to discover themselves. Having a relationship with someone who is experiencing the same things who can support you emotionally can help things be less difficult 

Having a relationship with someone that requires communication and understanding can give you an understanding of where you are in the terms of maturity and gives you the opportunity to grow as a person. 

CON: They say that “nothing lasts forever in high school,” and as racing hormones and constant new crushes run wild, there are unintended emotional, social, and mental consequences that are often left unaccounted for. There is a lot of give and take in any relationship, but when you are dating during your most heightened stage of socio-emotional development, the lasting effects of a “first love” or “first heartbreak” can hold weight in the hearts of young lovers for many years after graduating, and sometimes even for a lifetime. 

Though relationships are extremely tempting considering the idealistic assumption that “the one” will be found in a class or by an accidental bump in the hallway, it is best for high schoolers to steer clear of relationships for as long as they possibly can for their own benefit.

Many people in high school develop friendships and try to keep a balance between their love, social, and academic lives. But sometimes unfortunately, love can pull more weight than the others. What can end up happening is that your significant other can turn into your only friend, and most girls can be emotional beings who are very hyper-sensitive to how others perceive them. Some girls put themselves on the line to save a relationship, and consequently they lose touch with their girlfriends and their friendships, and, left unattended, have damaging emotional effects.

“When I was with my boyfriend of two years, we were always together,” said junior Naomi Rodriguez. “My friends told me that they were concerned I was becoming too dependent on him and I waved off their feelings because in my mind ‘I was in love.’ My circle eventually saw I wasn’t going to change my actions, so I was cut off and to this day I deal with the trauma of my relationship and friendships ending. I wish I would have listened because I could have avoided a lot of heartbreak and instead been having fun.”

 There are no longer invites to group-friend activities since the assumption is you are always with your significant other, and the high school friend environment becomes uncomfortable. 

College is the expected next step for high school students, and the preparation and finances that come along with it creates a conscious tenseness in the mind and life of an average student. But when you add the additional stress of a relationship, the romance can become a distraction and life goals can be put on the back burner in the name of love. 

This is especially true if a relationship starts at the end of high school and the importance of college increases. Questions such as “Are we going to be long distance?” or “Should we just be friends?” arise, and college decisions impacted by your significant other can throw your focus off and make you lose sight of your own future just to secure a spot in someone else’s. 

College can be a test to the strength and vitality of a relationship, and the trust needed could possibly work out in favor of the couple. Or against it.  Nevertheless, the strain college adds to the relationship could cause both partners to be emotionally and mentally drained, and cause them to second-guess their dreams and aspirations.