Understanding and Supporting Minoritized Youth in the Digital Era

with Dr. Aijah K. B. Goodwin, UMD, Thursday, May 21st, 2026, from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM EST

About the Session: Minoritized youth in the United States experience various structural, institutional, familial, and individual stressors that may increase their risk of mental health concerns. The consequences of unmet mental health needs for minoritized youth may include academic difficulties, social concerns, increasing rates of suicide, and other detrimental long-term outcomes. However, there are significant individual-level, provider-level, and system-level barriers to mental health help-seeking for minoritized adolescents . Furthermore, minoritized adolescents, especially those with anxious, depressed, and other internalizing concerns, are less likely to seek professional help and are more likely to prefer self-reliance and personal copin. As a result, there is an increase in teenagers utilizing social media and other digital sources for mental health psychoeducation and support. Youth are often not centered in our understanding and use of existing engagement techniques; therefore, the strategies do not utilize the help-seeking preferences of minoritized youth. Therefore, this presentation explores the help-seeking continuum from problem recognition to help-seeking, highlighting cultural, contextual, and technological influences in adolescent mental health services and supports. The session also examines diverse sources of support, including digital technology, families, schools, peers, and formal systems. In all, this training aims to enhance mental health accessibility for minoritized youth in the digital era.