It’s National Stalking Awareness Month, a time for communities and advocates to shine a light on a crime that too often hides in plain sight. Stalking is not merely “creepy behavior,” it’s a pattern of unwanted harassment and monitoring that causes real fear and emotional distress for victims of all ages. And while most people imagine stalking as an in-person pursuit, the reality is that technology now makes online stalking pervasive, especially for children, teens, and college students.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we know that stalking is not just a law enforcement issue it’s a civil justice issue that can devastate lives, interrupt safety and education, and leave long-term psychological harm. We’re committed to both raising awareness and helping survivors access legal accountability and support.
What Is Stalking and Why Awareness Matters
Stalking is defined as a pattern of repeated, unwanted contact or behavior directed at a specific person that causes them to fear for their safety or suffer emotional distress. It can include:
- Persistent texts, emails, and direct messages
- Online monitoring, fake social media profiles, or doxing
- Tracking a person’s movements or location
- Showing up uninvited in real life or through digital channels
- Threats and implied intimidation online or in person
This behavior can happen face-to-face, but increasingly it happens through technology, which makes it easier for stalkers to invade privacy, evade consequences, and terrorize victims wherever they are.
Startling Statistics: How Common Stalking Really Is
Stalking affects millions of people in the United States each year and young people are among the most vulnerable:
General Prevalence
- Roughly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men report having been stalked at some point in their lives.
- An estimated 7.5 million people experience stalking annually in the U.S.
- Around 80% of stalking victims report harassment through technology, like text messages, emails, or social media platforms.
Young Adults and College Students
- Young adults ages 18-24 experience the highest rate of stalking compared to other age groups, a significant concern given campus dynamics and digital communication.
- Studies indicate that a substantial portion of college students experience cyberstalking behaviors, including unauthorized tracking or sharing of information.
Children and Teens
While national surveys often focus on adults, the risk for children and teenagers is real and growing, particularly online:
- Stalking frequently overlaps with teen dating violence and digital harassment, and technology can blur the line between persistent attention and criminal stalking.
- Digital platforms like social apps and online games are environments where harassment can escalate quicklyfrom unwanted messages to threats, doxing, or extortion, and young people often lack the tools to protect themselves.
The Digital Age: Stalking in Video Games and Online Platforms
Today’s tech landscape, especially online games, chat apps, and social forums, can become stalking ground:
- Game platforms and voice chats often reveal usernames, locations, or friend lists that a stalker can exploit.
- Fake accounts and persistence make it easier for stalkers to re-establish contact after being blocked.
- Young people may experience harassment or threats through in-game messaging that spills over into other platforms.
- In some cases, online stalkers escalate to extortion, threatening to share photos, tease personal information, or harm reputations unless victims comply with demands.
These behaviors are not “just online drama.” They can create fear, disrupt schooling, and erode trust and for minors, the emotional and psychological harms can be profound.
Why College Students Are at Risk and Often Silent
College life is a time of exploration, independence, and digital connection but it also carries risk:
- Social apps, campus social life, and shared spaces can put students in close contact with peers who may not respect boundaries.
- The same technologies that connect students can enable stalking behaviors without clear legal lines until harm escalates.
- Many victims either normalize persistent attention or fear retaliation, leading to underreporting; only a fraction report stalking to authorities.
This underlines a key truth: stalking is not about affection it’s about control, fear, and power.
Location Sharing: A Safety Tool That Can Become a Weapon
Many teens now routinely share their real-time location with friends through apps like Snap Map, Find My, Life360, and in-game or social platforms. In healthy relationships, location sharing can feel reassuring a way to check that friends got home safely or stayed together during outings. But when boundaries shift or relationships become unhealthy, location sharing can quickly turn into a tool for surveillance, control, and stalking.
What begins as voluntary can become coercive. Teens may feel pressured to keep location sharing on to “prove” trust, avoid conflict, or prevent accusations of secrecy. When that information falls into the wrong hands through screenshots, shared logins, hacked accounts, or ex-friends who refuse to let go it can expose where a young person lives, goes to school, works, or spends time. For stalkers, that data removes guesswork and increases risk.
Why Parents and Caregivers Should Pay Attention to App Tracking
Location-tracking features are often enabled by default, and many teens don’t fully understand how widely their location can be shared or for how long. Apps that track movement, gaming platforms with location-based features, and social media check-ins can unintentionally broadcast a child’s whereabouts to people they don’t truly know. This creates opportunities for stalking, harassment, and extortion particularly when online interactions escalate into threats or manipulation.
Parents and caregivers should regularly review which apps have location access, limit tracking to trusted uses only, and teach young people that no one is entitled to constant access to their location. Turning off unnecessary tracking, using “while using the app” permissions, and having clear conversations about digital boundaries are essential prevention tools. Safety should never come at the cost of autonomy and no teen should feel obligated to make themselves visible in order to feel accepted or protected.
What Parents and Caregivers Can Do Tonight
Stalking prevention starts with small, practical steps especially in a digital world where location and access are often shared without much thought.
- Check location settings on your child’s phone and apps. Many platforms default to “always on.” Switch to “while using the app” or turn location access off when it isn’t necessary.
- Review gaming platforms and chat apps, including voice and messaging features. Online games are social spaces and sometimes access points for stalking and harassment.
- Talk openly about boundaries, including the truth that no friend, partner, or peer is entitled to constant access to someone’s location.
- Normalize turning location sharing off after breakups, conflicts, or when friendships change. Safety should never depend on keeping someone else comfortable.
- Encourage documentation. Screenshots, saved messages, and timestamps matter if behavior escalates to stalking or extortion.
- Trust instincts. If something feels off, it probably is and help is available.
Teaching digital safety is not about restricting independence. It’s about giving young people the tools to protect themselves in online spaces that were never designed with their safety in mind.
The Real World Impacts on Survivors
Stalking takes an emotional and psychological toll:
- Persistent fear and anxiety
- Sleep disruption and depression
- School avoidance or withdrawal from social life
- Damage to reputation, digital safety, and future opportunities
Stalking doesn’t just interfere with daily life it can derail education, career paths, and mental wellness.
Help Is Available and Legal Accountability Matters
If you or someone you love is experiencing stalking whether online or in person you are not alone. Stalking is a recognized crime in all 50 states and at the federal level, and legal protections are expanding to address technology-facilitated harassment.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we work with survivors to pursue justice and accountability through civil legal avenues. Civil cases are a powerful tool to not only help survivors heal but also to hold stalkers and the systems that enabled them accountable.
We guide survivors through:
- Documentation and evidence collection
- Protective orders and legal interventions
- Civil claims for emotional and psychological harm
- Holding institutions responsible when they failed to protect
Take Action This Stalking Awareness Month
January is a chance to:
- Learn how stalking looks in the digital age
- Support survivors
- Raise awareness about technology-facilitated abuse
- Demand stronger protections and safer online spaces
Stalking is not a harmless quirk it’s a pattern of harassment that can change lives. If you or someone you care about needs support, reach out. Help is available, and justice is possible.