Study Shows Discrimination on Social Media Leads to Higher Levels of Depression and Anxiety Among Hispanic Young Men

Ethnic discrimination and hate speech on social media have been in the spotlight during recent national discussions and demonstrations about racial and ethnic injustice, leading to boycotts of social media platforms by advertisers. A study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology examined the associations between ethnic and racial discrimination on social media and depression/anxiety levels among Hispanics. Researchers found higher levels of depression and anxiety among Hispanic young men than in their female peers, even when both groups were exposed to the same discriminatory social media content. Previous studies have shown that young adults experience higher rates of depression and anxiety than teens and other adults do. Given the high usage of social media among this age group, especially Hispanics, social media discrimination may compound the risk of developing poor mental health.