This study examines the role of social media in the lives of youth living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Feminist Standpoint theory, which privileges the voices of marginalized communities in understanding social phenomena, suggests that youth at the margins have specific knowledge that helps us understand social media more broadly. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 females and 30 males aged 13 to 24 about their social worlds and neighborhoods, both on- and offline. The findings reveal a dynamic and somewhat concerning interplay between the geographic neighborhood and the digital neighborhood, whereby negative social interactions in the geographic neighborhood are reproduced and amplified on social media.

Background Sexual health is an important area of study—particularly for minority youth and youth living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Objectives The purpose of the research was to examine the sources of sexual health information associated with youth adopting sexual risk reduction behaviors. Methods Data collection took place in a small city in the Northeastern United States using cross-sectional behavioral surveys and modified venue-based sampling. Participants included 249 African-American and Latino/a youth aged 13–24. Participants reported their sources of information about contraception and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted disease (STD), such as TV/movies, parents, social media; their intentions to have sex; and condom and contraception use during their last sexual activity. Social media use, past pregnancy experience, past sexual history, age, and gender were also measured. Standard tests of bivariate association (chi-squared and F-tests) were used to examine initial associations between sexual risk reduction behavior and exposure to sexual risk reduction information on social media. Logistic regression models were used to test multivariate relationships between information sources and sexual risk reduction behavior. Results Youth who were exposed to sexual health messages on social media were 2.69 times (p < .05) and 2.49 times (p < .08) more likely to have used contraception or a condom at last intercourse, respectively. Parents, schools, or traditional media as information sources were not significantly associated with contractive use or condom use at last intercourse. Discussion Youth sexual behavior is increasingly informed by social media messages. Health practitioners should utilize social media as an important health promotion tool.

Does officer race affect the frequency with which citizens report receiving a ticket for a traffic law violation? According to citizens, is the effect of officer race on traffic tickets the same in 1999 and 2002 despite the increased attention given what has come to be called driving while Black? The present research answers these questions using citizen reports of their traffic stop encounters with police in 1999 and 2002. Net of important control variables, citizens report changes in the ways officer race affects traffic ticket decisions, most notably when viewed through the lens of intersections of officer race and driver race and ethnicity. Specifically, citizens report that Black police officers are less likely to ticket Black traffic law violators in 2002 than in 1999. In important contrast, White police officers are more likely to ticket all drivers of color in both 1999 and 2002.

The current study utilizes an asset-based approach to examine inner-city African-American and Latino adolescent non-marijuana use. Interview findings suggest that the common theme in adolescent narratives is why they avoid marijuana use. Specifically, adolescents formulate several reasons situated in their perceptions of self, peers, and parents to avoid marijuana use. Drawing on resiliency theory and to broaden our scope of inquiry, we utilize these findings to further delve into the relationship between perceptions of self, peer communication, parental monitoring, and marijuana use avoidance utilizing survey data analysis. Findings can be used to leverage prevention programs with this population. ARTICLE HISTORY

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The digital neighborhood is the amalgamation of the spaces online where youth connect with others. Just as Black and Hispanic youth live in neighborhoods that influence their health, they are also influenced by online digital neighborhoods. Youth are exposed to social media content featuring substance use, sexual risk, and violence, yet little is known about the extent to which youth engage with such content. Using a modified venue sampling strategy, we administered CASI surveys to 145 Black and Hispanic youth aged 13-24 living in low-income urban neighborhoods. Across social media platforms, respondents reported high levels of exposure to sexual, alcohol, drug, and violence-related content (65-84%). Users reported lower levels of engagement with risk-related content (on an engagement continuum), ranging from passive exposure to dissemination. While negative risks may be amplified in the digital neighborhood, youth appear to strategically limit their engagement with that content. However, because risk behavior messaging is common in these digital neighborhoods, these spaces provide opportunities for health promotion interventions.

This study drew on social construction of gender and reflexive methodological approaches to examine how adolescent girls procured meth within the context of relationships with boys and men. A total of 18 incarcerated adolescent girls, aged 14 to 17 years, were interviewed about their meth-using experiences. The findings indicate that girls used five relationship strategies and one nonrelationship strategy to procure meth on the streets. Close examination revealed that girls' meth procurement strategies, with few exceptions, occurred in ways resonant with culturally dominant views of femininity (referred to hereafter as emphasized femininities). However, most girls presented themselves in interviews as breaking out of culturally prescribed constraints and crafting their own version of femininity. However, their agency was contextualized or limited by the social power relations that surrounded them.