LGBTQ youth of color feel safest on their TikTok FYP, report finds

For LGBTQ youth, social media is a double-edged sword: a digital public space that acts as both an important lifeline for identity-based community and an increasingly dangerous threat to their mental wellbeing. And a new research brief from nonprofit The Trevor Project documents just how much this dynamic affects the online behavior of LGBTQ young people of color, specifically. According to the organization’s 2023 data — based on a national youth survey of more than 28,000 LGBTQ young people ages 13-24 across the U.S. — these young users are seeking out forms of online community most frequently through popular social platforms like TikTok. Plus, they’re reporting a significantly higher impact of positive online experiences on their mental health. SEE ALSO: LGBTQ spaces are needed now more than ever. Here’s what people mapping them have to say. “Feeling safe and understood in at least one online space is associated with lower suicide risk and lower rates of recent anxiety for all LGBTQ young people, and for LGBTQ young people of color in particular,” writes the organization. “Overall, LGBTQ young people who reported feeling safe and understood in at least one online space had 20 percent lower odds of attempting suicide in the past year, compared to LGBTQ young people who reported not feeling safe and understood in any online space.”According to survey responses, TikTok leads as most respondents’ go-to platform for online comfort and safety, with 53 percent of LGBTQ young people of color reporting feeling safe and understood on the app. The social messaging platform Discord ranked next…LGBTQ youth of color feel safest on their TikTok FYP, report finds