Effects of Media on the Mental Health of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

Purpose of Review There has been a recent rise in both positive and negative representations of sexual and gender minority (SGM) identities in the media. New forms of media have also emerged, and the ways in which youth engage with the media are evolving. Media exposure can have nuanced impacts on mental health and development. This is particularly true for SGM youth, who experience increased vulnerability to adverse mental health outcomes associated with minority stress. The mechanisms by which media can impact the mental health of SMG youth are complex and interconnected. We use the frameworks of Minority Stress Theory, Mega-Threat Theory, and the Media Effects Theory to contextualize the current literature on these mechanisms. Recent Findings Media exposure has been associated with negative mental health effects in SGM youth, including increased anxiety, depression, rumination, physical health symptoms, fears for personal safety, and suicidal and self-harm ideation. Conversely, media exposure may confer many benefits to SGM youth, including feelings of validation, reduced isolation and loneliness, and increased hopefulness. Social media spaces have a unique, nuanced role in the development of identity and mental health of SGM youth, especially for youth with intersecting identities. Summary Attention to the positive and negative relationships between mental health and media exposure is vital for better understanding mental health outcomes of SGM youth. Future directions include ethical reporting of suicide in the media, screening for social media use in clinical settings in the context of a child’s developmental stage, increasing media literacy, and recruiting a more intersectional group of study participants.