These are stories of teens’ experiences with online negativity that offer ideas about what can be helpful to do in these moments, including how to reach out for support and who to reach out to. The stories are all available in text format, and some have audio recordings available now (the rest are coming soon!)
Key for symbols:
🇱= Latinx Character
🏳️🌈 = LGBQ Identity
🏳️⚧️ = Trans Identity
🧠 = Character Struggling with Mental Health
☪️ = Muslim Character
🖤 = Black/African-American Character
🌏 = Asian/South Asian-American Character
Joshua walks into the school bathroom to see some boys he knows skipping lunch to vape. Not wanting to succumb to peer pressure, he tells his teacher what happened. Later, he finds hateful comments on Instagram from the boys for telling on them. Frustrated, Josh confides in his guidance counselor for help.
Aidan is an Alaskan-Native teen who is part of a culturally diverse Discord server. After he receives hateful comments, the weight of the world feels like too much. Knowing he should talk to someone, Aidan texts a crisis hotline for Native youth. 🧠
Jacob gets targeted online by a classmate making fun of his ethnicity and background. Michael wants to stand up for his friend, so he calls out the classmate online. Michael then becomes a target, and talks to his brother and mom about what to do. 🏳️🌈🇱
When Lydia tells her crush that she likes him, he makes fun of her Korean features on social media. Lydia is hurt and confused by his words, so she confides in her best friend and guidance counselor for validation and advice. 🌏
Priyah likes posting online content educating others about Hinduism. When she receives backlash about her body and culture, she works together with her friend Aneesa to decide what to do and process through her emotions. 🌏
Lulu joins the debate team, feeling like she’s living in her smart older sister’s shadow. Unfortunately, her teammates make fun of her and exclude her from the team group chat. Noticing that something is wrong, Lulu confides in her soccer coach. 🇱
Nia posts a get-ready-with-me TikTok showing off her outfit but receives unwanted comments making fun of her body. Feeling discouraged, she calls her therapist to get the perspective of another Black, curvy woman. 🖤
Kai notices his friend Hannah is upset, and she confides in him that people at school have been spreading rumors about her sexuality. Together, they talk to Kai’s dad about going to a school counselor for help. 🏳️🌈
Cameron responds to a controversial video someone posts on Twitter. After he responds, he realizes his tweet has gained traction and is faced with backlash. Feeling overwhelmed and sad, he turns to his older cousin for advice on how to handle the situation.
One night, Khalil is playing online games with some people from school when someone calls him an offensive, racially charged name. Feeling depressed and exiled, he talks to his older sister about what to do. 🖤🧠