Minoritized youth and (social) media – exploring elevated risks and context-sensitive interventions.
Chair(s): Hildegunn Fandrem (Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway)
Discussant(s): Dagmar Strohmeier (University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Linz, Austria; University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway)
Though digital worlds create opportunities for adolescents to connect and feel a sense of agency, these benefits come with risks—risks that are not equally distributed. Research shows that minoritized youth, such as those from migrant, minority, and indigenous backgrounds, report higher levels of online victimization, including cyberbullying. Further, new forms of media have blurred the boundaries between online and offline worlds, impacting youths' daily lives, identities, and well-being. This symposium, through three studies, addresses the enhanced risks and vulnerabilities associated with social and public media for minoritized youth and how these challenges can be addressed.
The first study addresses Digital dating abuse (DDA) among Latinx adolescents in the US. Using a between-subjects experiment with hypothetical text-message conversations, the study explores how the context and the role of the participant can influence adolescents’ recognition of DDA and their emotional responses. Results showed that affection masked DDA recognition.
The second study focuses on cyberbullying perpetration among migrant and Sámi students in Norway. It aims to understand how internalized racism, ethnic or indigenous identity, acculturation orientation, and affiliation motives are associated with cyberbullying perpetration, using online surveys and SEM-analyses.
The third study presents a qualitative analysis of the media coverage of minoritized students in connection with school closures in Sweden, and how these students reacted to what was written about them. Thematic analysis revealed polarized portrayals of minoritized students, who were depicted as either the "victim" or the "problem"—images that the students had to navigate and negotiate.
The combined results of the symposium offer new insights into how (social) media can exacerbate vulnerabilities for students who are already in minoritized and vulnerable positions. The implications discussed will focus on how this knowledge can inform the development of culturally tailored and context-sensitive interventions.
Presentations of the Symposium
An Ecological Text-Message Experiment of Latinx Adolescents’ Recognition of and Emotional Responses to Digital Dating Abuse Behaviors
Jennifer M. Figueroa, Thao Ha, Samantha F. Anderson, Olivia Maras, Selena Quiroz
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA
Digital dating abuse (DDA) is a form of dating violence using digital platforms to control, harass, monitor, pressure, or threaten romantic partners, linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes (Reed et al., 2017; Van Ouytsel et al., 2017). Latinx adolescents report higher rates of dating abuse than non-Hispanic White adolescents (Sabina et al., 2021; Vagi et al., 2015) but remain underrepresented in DDA research (Reed et al., 2020). This gap is critical, as Latinx youth may misinterpret DDA behaviors, such as monitoring or controlling, as normal relationship dynamics (Stonard et al., 2014), which increases their risk and decreases help-seeking behaviors. The complexity of DDA—spanning negative (e.g., conflict) and positive (e.g., affection or joking) contexts—further complicates recognition, especially given its bidirectional nature (Ellyson et al., 2021; Reed et al., 2021). We conducted a 3x3 between-subjects experiment with hypothetical text-message conversations to examine how DDA context (DDA-only, DDA-with-affection, no-DDA) and role (sender, receiver, mutual) influence adolescents’ recognition of DDA and emotional responses. Participants (N = 475, Mage = 15.74) were randomly assigned to one of nine conditions and assessed for DDA recognition and emotional upset. Results revealed significant effects of DDA context on recognition and emotional responses. Adolescents recognized DDA behaviors most in the DDA-only condition and least in DDA-with-affection, F(2, 453) = 97.71, p < .001, ηp² = .301. Emotional upset followed a similar pattern, with the DDA-only condition eliciting the highest distress, F(2, 453) = 53.57, p < .001, ηp² = .191. Role and its interaction with context were not significant. Our findings highlight that affection obscures DDA recognition, emphasizing the need for context-sensitive interventions to improve adolescents’ understanding of DDA and reduce its prevalence.
The role of internalized racism, identity, acculturation and affiliation need in cyberbullying perpetration: A study among migrant and Sámi students in Norway
Luisa Morello1, Simona Carla Silvia Caravita1, Takuya Yanagida2, Dziuginta Baraldsnes1, Hildegunn Fandrem1
1Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway, 2Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway; Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Ethnic minority and indigenous students may be particularly vulnerable to cyberbullying involvement, yet the underlying reasons remain unclear. Internalized racism, rooted in structural racism, refers to the internalization of racist attitudes and negative beliefs in marginalized individuals about their own value and identity. This phenomenon can lead to conflicts within and between racialized groups (David et al., 2019). Among adolescents, internalized racism can predict violent and externalizing behaviors (Reck et al., 2024). It may also influence the development of racial identity, a critical process during adolescence. Likewise racial identity, acculturation can also be linked to internalized racism. Indeed, cyberbullying perpetration, an aggressive behavior peaking during adolescence, may serve as an acculturation strategy and can be driven by affiliation needs for migrant students (Solomontos-Kountouri & Strohmeier, 2021).
To date, studies have neither explored internalized racism among ethnic minority and indigenous students in Norway nor its relationship with cyberbullying perpetration. This study aims to provide an initial understanding of how internalized racism, ethnic or indigenous identity, acculturation orientation, and affiliation motive associate with cyberbullying perpetration among two minority groups: migrant and Sámi students in Norway. The study will also examine the role of gender identity, considering possible intersectional effects.
Participants are lower secondary students (8th–10th grade) from six schools in Norway, including native-born Norwegians, migrants, and Sámi, answering self-report measures online. The study adopts a cross-sectional design. Data are analyzed through regression and structural equation modeling, testing the hypothesis that ethnic or indigenous identity and acculturation orientation mediate the relationship between internalized racism and cyberbullying perpetration, while affiliation motive moderates it.
This research will enhance the understanding of migrant students’ engagement in cyberbullying perpetration, supporting the development of effective acculturation strategies. Additionally, examining the phenomenon within the Sámi community will guide culturally tailored interventions.
Media coverage and its impact on minoritized students in connection to school closures in Sweden
Ylva Svensson, Karin K. Flensner
University West, Department of Social and Behavioral Studies, Trollhättan, Sweden
Municipalities in Sweden have recently sought to reduce school segregation through initiatives like school closures, sparking public debate. This study examines one such initiative, where two schools in disadvantaged areas were closed, and minoritized students were dispersed to five more affluent schools. The study aims to explore the media coverage of minoritized students in connection with the school closure, and how the students reacted to what was written about them. This aim was addressed in two research questions:
- How were minoritized students depicted in media coverage of the school closure?
- How did the media coverage affect the students and school processes?
A qualitative approach, including thematic analysis, was used. First, an analysis of the public media coverage of the students who were about to change school was conducted. Second, interviews were conducted with students (n = 59) and school staff (n = 62) at the closing and receiving schools, before and following the dispersal. We employed a qualitative approach, using thematic analyses (Braun & Clark, 2006). The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for the respondents’ experiences.
Media analysis revealed that coverage focused mostly on the political decision to close schools, with students seldom directly addressed. Minoritized students were portrayed in polarized ways, either as "victims" or "problems." Interviews revealed that both students and staff were aware of the media coverage, and it negatively impacted school processes, especially before the closures. Students about to change schools felt even more insecure and unwelcome. Through the media the minoritized students became aware of how they were viewed by others, which prompted processes of incorporation into their understanding of what was happening, and (re)negotiation of their identities. The study highlights how media coverage can exacerbate insecurities and challenges in an already uncertain and unequal process.
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