Online Racial Harassment Leads to Lower Academic Confidence for Black and Hispanic Students

BY ALVIN THOMAS THE CONVERSATION

Online racial discrimination or harassment has a negative effect on the academic and emotional well-being of students of color. That is the key finding from a study I published recently in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

For the study, I surveyed 356 Black and Hispanic teens across the U.S. I analyzed their responses to questions about their social media use and experiences. I also asked about their mental health and beliefs about their academic potential. The adolescents were 16 years old on average.

Girls in this study had on average one to three more social media accounts than boys. Girls reported depression levels that were four points higher than those of boys. This suggests more depressive symptoms among girls. Black teens reported social media activity that was three points greater than that of Hispanic teens. They also reported more online experiences of discrimination – almost 10% more – than their Hispanic counterparts.

Black and Hispanic teens who used social media more were more likely than not to encounter online racial harassment or discrimination, whether as direct victims or observing their racial group or another racial group being demeaned or discredited. Brendesha Tynes, a researcher at the University of Southern

California, describes online discrimination as “disparaging remarks, symbols, images, behaviors that inflict harm through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices.”

Additionally, students who observed more online racial harassment or discrimination suffered more depression and anxiety than those with fewer of these negative online experiences. Higher levels of depression and anxiety undermined Black and Hispanic adoles-