‘I wouldn’t have done that’: Why online space matters for 2SLGBTQ+ youth

As Nova Scotia and Quebec are following countries like Australia and Denmark in planning to introduce laws that would ban children under 16 from using social media, some 2SLGBTQ+ youth say they are worried it will limit their ability to find community and important resources.

“When I was younger, I would go on social media to explore things I didn’t really understand about myself,” explains London Clarke, a queer youth from Vancouver. Guest host Anees Haidari just asking,

“It was a place where I learned a lot about the gay community because I didn’t really have anyone else to talk to about it.”

And Clark is not alone.

According for an American survey 2SL by The Trevor Project in 2024 Among LGBTQ+ youth, 68 percent of respondents felt that the online world provided positive spaces. This compares with 40 percent, 52 percent, and 20 percent for home, school, and community programs, respectively.

The study was conducted with youth living in the U.S. Between 13 September and 16 December 2023.

Raine Hermosa, a queer and aromantic youth, says that removing access to social media for 2SLGBTQ+ youth would “take away a lot of support.”

“I don’t think our individual resources and infrastructure are equal to the real needs of gay youth in the community,” said Hermosa, who is currently a first-year university student at Simon Fraser University in B.C.

He says that not every school has a gay-straight aligned club, and he knows many youth who live in rural or suburban areas who have to travel “really far” to reach a gay community center.

“You’re going to spend a lot more time online because it’s easier,” Hermosa said.

Hermosa’s family is supportive, but she says many 2SLGBTQ+ youth are not.

“(Their) parents are more controlling (where) they can’t talk about their identity or their viewpoint at all – they’re almost silenced,” Hermosa said.

Hermosa worries that if access to online spaces disappeared it would “silence them almost completely”.

‘A life-saving place’

Christopher Dietzel, an assistant professor at Concordia University who researches technology, security, health, gender and sexuality, said the digital space has created a “significant, deep, powerful difference” between today’s 2SLGBTQ+ generation and the generation before them.

He says older generations often had to seek community in ways that were “very dangerous”.

“They had to go to bars and clubs and hide out in the underground,” Dietzel said.

While online spaces also pose risks, Ditzel believes the freedom and exploration they allow is far greater – and significantly safer – than that of previous generations.

He describes the digital world as a kind of “third space” separate from home and school – spaces that are traditionally shaped by parents and teachers. Like after-school clubs, libraries or community centers, this third space gives youth a place to socialize, play, explore identity, and build community on their own terms.

Omid Razavi, executive director of It Gets Better Canada, says the space can be a “lifesaver” for 2SLGBTQ youth, many who don’t “feel comfortable” asking questions about their gender identity at home or school.

“Access to online communities is a new way for young people to understand how they are feeling,” Razavi said. “They can really find support systems (and) life-saving education to help them know that ultimately, it gets better.”

‘I wouldn’t have made it out’

For Jessica Winton, the Internet provided a lifeline. The 24-year-old is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental sustainability at the University of Ottawa. She also ran for Westmount City Council in 2025. She says these are achievements she could never have imagined.

Growing up in a family that did not support her for being trans, and attending a school where no one was openly gay, Winton said she felt completely alone. She struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Vinton turned to the online world for connection, spending much of his childhood forming friendships on Discord while playing video games.

She says she also found support on Twitch, where dedicated 2SLGBTQ+ channels offered a space full of people who were “very open and welcoming.” She says that there she can freely explore her identity.

“I think, if it weren’t for these online spaces, I wouldn’t have been able to get out of that time in my life,” Vinton said. ,Online spaces really provided me with a sense of community that I couldn’t find through school or other things at the time.

Setting up a safe online space

Razavi says regulators tasked with finding appropriate solutions to manage young people’s social media use face a “difficult road ahead”.

While the risks of social media are real – and 2SLGBTQ+ youth faces disproportionately high levels Regarding cyberbullying – Razavi says these platforms have also opened doors to community and validation that previous generations never had.

He says online spaces allow youth to explore and express their identities, connect with peers who understand their life experiences, and create the kind of “youth-to-youth support systems” that are essential for gay and other marginalized communities.

Razavi hopes that rather than banning social media outright, governments will focus on strengthening security by cracking down on hate speech and targeted attacks. He suggests providing direct counseling to gay youth about the benefits and challenges they face online.

“This is not a matter of removing access, but preserving access,” Razavi said.

Dietzel shares that viewpoint. He says banning social media for youth ignores the reality that the world is becoming more digitally connected. He says that with the rapid advancements in AI and technology, it is unrealistic to imagine a future without technology.

“If we’re delaying that process by saying you won’t get access to technology until later in life… and then ‘Oh congratulations, now you’re 16, boom, you have access to everything,’ — I don’t think that’s an appropriate or practical approach to educating youth to really live in our digital world,” Dietzel said.

Thus, if young people are expected to move into that future, Dietzel says they will need the tools to navigate it safely and responsibly. He says restricting access until later in adolescence, without giving them the necessary skills or education earlier, is not the way to go.

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