"Without It, I Wouldn't Be Here Today": LGBTQ+ Young People's Experiences in Online Spaces
For LGBTQ+ young people, online spaces may serve as a place to explore different identities, find affirmation and support, and gain access to peers like them. However, online spaces also bring the potential for exposure to bullying and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments being expressed by others. Actively engaging young people to describe this duality is essential to understanding how they experience online environments. With that in mind, Hopelab and Born This Way Foundation conducted a study of over 1,200 LGBTQ+ young people across the U.S. to provide a comprehensive view of their online experiences. The findings highlight how partnerships between young people and trusted adults can create kinder and braver environments that enhance well-being outcomes and reduce depression among LGBTQ+ young people.
"Throughout my entire life, I have been bullied relentlessly. However, when I’m online, I find that it is easier to make friends… I met my best friend through role play [games]. Without it, I wouldn’t be here today. So in the long run, it’s the friendships I’ve made online that have kept me alive all these years."
The report explores how LGBTQ+ young people use online communities to explore their sexual and gender identities, engage in reciprocal peer support, and build lasting friendships.
The report also examines some of the negative aspects of online environments, such as teasing and bullying, and details how LGBTQ+ young people manage their online safety. Amid evolving platform policies and legislation affecting the safety of LGBTQ+ young people, the research offers concrete strategies for building supportive digital and in-person spaces.
As part of this study, we engaged directly with LGBTQ+ young people about their perspectives on the survey data; they offered their insights on interpreting and sharing these findings. This approach underscores our commitment to equity-centered, youth-engaged research.
Key Finding 01
LGBTQ+ young people, particularly those who are transgender and nonbinary, are more comfortable being out online than in person.
Young people who identify as transgender or nonbinary disclose their gender identity online twice as frequently as they do in person (80% online compared to 40% in person).
Key Finding 02
LGBTQ+ young people feel safer expressing their identities online than in person.
Nearly half (44%) feel very safe in online spaces compared to just 9% in person.
Key Finding 03
Kindness related to LGBTQ+ identities is more common online than in person.
More than six out of 10 (61%) reported that people were very kind regarding their LGBTQ+ identities online, compared to just over two out of 10 (23%) for in-person spaces.
Key Finding 04
Online and in-person friends are rated as more supportive than family among LGBTQ+ young people. In-person spaces are associated with lower depression.
Those with in-person spaces who were very supportive of their LGBTQ+ identity had nearly half the rate of depression compared to those without such support (28% vs. 53%).
Key Finding 05
Online communities are not without challenges.
More than one in three young people have experienced bullying and teasing online due to their LGBTQ+ identity in the past year.
Key Finding 06
LGBTQ+ young people do not want their online access limited and prioritize platform safety.
The vast majority value a platform’s reputation for being LGBTQ+-friendly (87%) and consider formal moderation important (74%).
Key Finding 07
LGBTQ+ young people develop and maintain rich and meaningful friendships online.
Qualitative data highlights ways online friendships offer support and are often the only space for LGBTQ+ young people to feel safe and confident about being themselves.
"I’ve gotten so much validation and acceptance from my online friends for years, that I sometimes haven’t gotten in person from others. They truly helped save my life and remind me I’m not alone. I often wish the 'real world' was as accepting as my online friends are."
"I feel like I can be my truest self [online] instead of having to hide like I have to do in my daily life because I live with transphobic parents and family and experience transphobia almost daily.”
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