BLACKONTHETIMELINE:SOCIALMEDIA,MISINFORMATION, ANDTHEMENTALHEALTHOFBLACKEMERGINGADULTS EXECUTIVESUMMARY
ThisreportexaminesthedigitallivesandmentalhealthexperiencesofBlackemerging adults,highlightinghowsocialmediaservesasbothavitalsocialtoolandasourceof significantchallenges.Drawingonsurveydata,thefindingsillustratethecentralrole thatdigitalplatformsplayinshapingrelationships,identity,information-seeking behaviors,andmentalhealthoutcomesforthispopulation.Thereportalsounderscores howissuesofracialdiscriminationandmisinformationinonlinespacesintersectwith thebroaderpolicylandcsapeandquestionsofequity,access,andpublichealth.
KeyFindings
Socialmediaisdeeplyembeddedindailylife.Nearlyallrespondentshave integratedsocialmediaintotheirdailyroutines,withover70%describingthese platformsascentraltotheirrelationshipsand69%notingdisappointmentatthe thoughtoflosingaccess.
Racialdiscriminationonlineispervasive.Morethan80%ofparticipants experienceddiscriminationwithinthepastsixmonths,includingexclusion(87%), threats(83%),andexposuretoracistcontent(96%).
Mentalhealthburdensarepronounced,especiallyamonggender-diverse participants.Nonbinaryandtransgenderrespondentsreportedhigherlevelsof distressacrossdepressionandanxietysymptomscomparedtocisgenderpeers. Overall,morethanhalfofrespondentsexperiencedsymptomsofemotionaldistress intheweekpriortothesurvey.
Misinformationiswidespread,andunintentionalsharingiscommon.Nearlythreequartersofparticipantsreportedencounteringfalseormisleadinginformation multipletimesperweek,and71%admittedtounintentionallysharingsuchcontent. Whilemostfeelconfidentinidentifyingmisinformation,familiaritywithformal verificationtoolsisuneven.
Civicandhealthengagementarestrongdriversofonlineuse.Respondents activelyconsumedandsharednewsandpoliticalcontent,andnearlyhalfsought mentalhealthinformationonlinethroughplatformssuchasWebMD,YouTube,and TikTok.
PolicyImplications
ThefindingspointtoanurgentneedforpoliciesthatbothprotectBlackemergingadults fromharmfulonlineenvironmentsandstrengthenthesupportsavailabletothem. Specifically,thehighprevalenceofonlineracialdiscriminationandmisinformation underscorestheimportanceoffederalandstateinvestmentindigitalequityinitiatives, includingtargeteddigitalliteracyprograms,mentalhealthintegrationindigitalwellness efforts,andstrongeraccountabilitymeasuresforplatformshostingracistormisleading content.Addressingtheseissuesisnotonlyamatterofpublichealthbutalsoofequity andcivicparticipation,asBlackemergingadultsremainhighlyengagedinonline politicalandinformationalspaces.