There’s been mounting concern in recent years about the harms of social media use for kids. The sites can be addictive, ripe for cyberbullying and contribute to increased rates of body dysmorphia, anxiety and depression.

The growing evidence has led at least a dozen states to pass laws attempting to restrict access to online platforms for kids. The Kids Off Social Media Act, a bipartisan bill in the Senate, would bar minors under 13 from social media.

But despite the risks, there can be benefits to finding communities online, especially for LGBTQ+ teens and young adults, according to a recent report jointly released by the Born This Way Foundation and the nonprofit Hopelab. It found they felt significantly safer expressing their identities online compared to in-person spaces.

Micah Reyes, a 24-year-old trans man, has carved out different queer communities on the internet where he feels are safer than in real world spaces. “You may be in a part of the world or a part of the state where there’s a bigger LGBTQ+ population, but there are those who may be in an area where there is not a big community surrounding them, and so that’s why those online spaces are really important,” he said.

According to recent data from Hopelab and the Born This Way Foundation, about 80% of LGBTQ+ teens and young adults feel safer expressing their sexual and gender diversities online. The survey included more than 1,200 teens and young adults, ages 15 to 24.

And though Micah feels as though his hometown of Saint Petersburg, Florida, is a bit progressive, laws like HB 1557, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, make him feel less welcome. “Banning teachers and such from expressing their identity as well as [the] potential lash if teachers support trans students, or even anyone in the LGBTQ community,” he added.

So, Micah says he likes to go on social media. “Instagram is a way that I’ve connected with people, and then I’ve also connected with people through zoom meetings,” he said. On Zoom, Micah has been able to be part of a handful of support groups for queer people, helping extend emotional support and resources to others in that community.

“I’ve created my own Instagram page for the LGBTQ+ community, where I post videos and I provide peer to peer support sessions virtually,” Reyes said, adding that his Instagram algorithm has helped push him to other queer content and creators.

Amy Green, lead researcher for the Hopelab and Born This Way report, says social media algorithms are a big reason teens and young adults in the queer community feel safer and supported in online spaces.

“They often don’t have as much control over their in-person world, so on these online spaces they can work to actively curate a feed and follow influencers who remind them of themselves,” Green explained.

Willow Hart is 24 years old, lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and identifies as nonbinary. For them, 2020 was a turning point when they discovered TikTok and came across other gender non-conforming creators and felt identified.

“Seeing a lot of people having this discovery and sharing it and being very vulnerable about it, was really helpful in my own discovery,” said Hart, “and finding people who were having similar experiences to me, and coming to the acceptance that I would never be alone in that experience.”

Hart also found more queer communities on Discord, the online instant messaging social platform. “It wasn’t just about being queer, it was about all of the other things that we are and our interests and being able to interact with people in a space that we knew was safe to be who we are at our core,” they added.

Discord has allowed Hart to meet hundreds of other online users who also identify as nonbinary. And it’s inspired them to create their own Instagram community, showcasing their chocolate-making and art skills.

Hart says they’re grateful for how the algorithms on Instagram and TikTok expose them to like-minded creators and communities, calling their online safe spaces “the gender revolution,” which they recall hearing it called on TikTok.

But when users on social media aren’t as nice, Reyes says: the block button exists for the online trolls. Whereas in the real world, “the button doesn’t exist, and it can end in really bad consequences,” which is something he thinks about on a daily basis in his offline life.

“Sometimes it just isn’t safe to have a support group in a certain place, because you don’t know who’s outside. You don’t know who knows about these meetings,” Reyes explained. “When you’re in an online space, it’s easier to vet and kind of get those people that are trying to cause disruption or even sometimes intend harm. It’s easier to get them away from us.”

Reyes is focusing on growing his Instagram presence and wants to reach more queer followers online to offer peer-to-peer support. He hopes the online support he experiences will translate to real-world settings in the near future.