• by Colin Kirkland , July 19, 2023

The Trevor Project, an American nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention efforts for LGBTQ teens, has released new research suggesting that TikTok is the safest social media app for young LGBTQ people of color.

While positive and harmful effects of social media use are still largely misunderstood, especially in relation to younger users, the Trevor Project collected data in its most recent 2023 U.S. mental health survey surrounding how young LGBTQ people of color reacted to popular online platforms compared to their white peers.

The survey -- which includes data from 28.524 LGBTQ people between 13 and 24 years of age -- shows that 53% of young LGBTQ people of color reported feeling safe and understood on TikTok compared to 45% of their white peers. A similar difference existed on Instagram (41% vs. 38%), followed by a smaller gap on Twitter (21% vs. 20%).

Discord (43%) came in second to TikTok in terms of LGBTQ people of color feeling the safest and most secure, followed by Instagram and YouTube (33%).

Apps designed specifically for LGBTQ users scored surprisingly low (21% vs. 19%), wedged between Twitter and Twitch.

In the statement attached to its findings, the nonprofit expressed how nuanced the impact of online spaces is on young people -- especially with LGBTQ young people, who spend an average of five hours per day on social media apps, which is 45 minutes higher than their non-LGBTQ peers.

Cyberbullying and racism are common experiences for LGBTQ young people of color in online spaces, although these users also find a high level of support online “through the exploration of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, peer connect, and social support.”

“There are lots of good things and also, unfortunately, lots of harmful things,” The Trevor Project's senior machine-learning research scientist Wilson Lee told TechCrunch in reference to the complex effects of social media use. “And then they’re also good and harmful in different ways for different people, so [we're] trying to sort of dive into that.”