How Does Online Exposure to Racism Affect Mental Health: New Study has Answers
Tao, X., & Fisher, C. B. (2022). Exposure to social media racial discrimination and mental health among adolescents of color. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(1), 30–44.
Introduction
In the digital age, social media has become an integral part of adolescent life, offering both opportunities for self-expression and exposure to harmful content. For youth of color, the online world is often a double-edged sword: while it serves as a platform for racial justice advocacy, it also exposes them to racial discrimination at alarming rates. Offline racial discrimination has long been established as a significant stressor for racial and ethnic minority youth, predicting adverse mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders (Benner et al., 2018). However, the digital landscape presents a novel and less understood avenue through which racial discrimination manifests. Social media platforms facilitate both individual discrimination (directly targeted racial harassment) and vicarious discrimination (witnessing racist interactions toward others).
This study sought to investigate how social media use—including time spent online, intergroup contact, and racial justice civic engagement—predicts exposure to individual and vicarious racial discrimination, and how these experiences, in turn, influence mental health outcomes in adolescents of color.
Methods
The study analyzed data from 407 adolescents (ages 15–18) identifying as Black (n = 115), East/Southeast Asian (n = 112), Indigenous (n = 79), and Latinx (n = 101). Notably, 82.3% of participants were female, an important consideration in interpreting the findings. Data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic (October 2020–January 2021) via online surveys.
Participants completed measures assessing:
- Social Media Use – Time spent on social media per week, frequency of interracial interactions online, and levels of engagement in racial justice activities (e.g., posting about racial justice, organizing events).
- Social Media Racial Discrimination – Individual discrimination (e.g., being personally targeted by racist remarks) and vicarious discrimination (e.g., witnessing racism directed at others).
- Mental Health Outcomes – Depressive symptoms, anxiety, alcohol use disorder, and illicit drug use.
Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine both direct and indirect pathways linking social media use, exposure to racial discrimination, and mental health outcomes.
Results
First, racial discrimination on social media was nearly universal among participants: 79.1% reported experiencing individual racial discrimination, while 94.3% reported witnessing vicarious racial discrimination. Black adolescents reported the highest rates of exposure to both types.
Second, different social media behaviors were linked to different forms of discrimination:
- Time spent on social media was associated with greater individual discrimination, suggesting that the more time adolescents are online, the greater their exposure to personal attacks.
- Posting racial justice content was linked to increased exposure to vicarious discrimination, likely due to heightened engagement with racial justice topics.
- Coordinating racial justice activities (e.g., organizing events) was associated with greater individual discrimination, possibly because it makes users more visible to those who oppose racial justice efforts.
- Intergroup contact (interacting with people of other races) was not significantly associated with either type of discrimination.
Mental health analyses revealed that both individual and vicarious racial discrimination were significantly linked to increased depressive symptoms, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder. Notably, individual discrimination mediated the relationship between racial justice activity coordination and depressive symptoms, while vicarious discrimination mediated the link between racial justice publication and mental health outcomes.
An alternative SEM model suggested a bidirectional relationship between mental health and social media engagement: adolescents who experienced more discrimination were more likely to develop depressive symptoms, which in turn led them to spend even more time on social media and engage in more racial justice activities.
Discussion
Social media platforms serve as both a battleground for racial justice and a site of racial trauma, placing youth in a precarious position where activism and discrimination are deeply intertwined.
One of the most striking findings is the high rate of vicarious racial discrimination exposure—94% of participants had witnessed racist interactions. While witnessing racial discrimination does not target the individual directly, prior research suggests that vicarious racism is just as psychologically damaging as direct experiences, leading to chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and internalized distress.
Moreover, the study challenges the assumption that civic engagement is always protective. This study suggests that online activism may carry unintended psychological risks by increasing exposure to racial discrimination.
Implications for Mentoring Programs
First, mentors should educate mentees about social media literacy and coping strategies for dealing with racial discrimination online. This includes recognizing harmful content, engaging in self-care after exposure to racism, and knowing when to disengage from hostile online environments.
Second, programs should provide safe spaces for racial processing. Adolescents need supportive communities where they can discuss their experiences with racial discrimination without fear of judgment. Mentors can facilitate guided discussions on how to navigate digital spaces while preserving mental well-being.
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