F1000Res ·12 Nov 2026 ·Added 13 Nov 2026

Revealing Barriers to Identity Exploration Among Sexual Minority Youth in Social Media Environments: A Systematic Literature Review

Gilang Setiawan, Vanggi Eka Riski, Gustaf Silvester Jacob, Sufaat Sufaat, Wa Fela La Masi, Izzuliyah Nur Baitullah, AR Zamam Lubab, Daffa Lazuardy Noer Syahbana

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Abstract

Background Sexual minority youth (SMY) depend on social media for identity exploration, yet these platforms also harbor factors that may obstruct that process. Such barriers have been documented at psychological, interpersonal, sociocultural, and platform levels but have not been synthesized within a unified framework. This review synthesizes empirical evidence on these barriers and interprets it through a hypothesized integrative framework, proposed here, that combines Communication Privacy Management, Minority Stress Theory, and Affordances Theory. Methods Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and a pre-registered protocol at the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ZF7RT), systematic searches were conducted in Scopus ( n = 385), Web of Science ( n = 370), and JSTOR ( n = 58). Of 408 unique records, 30 empirical articles were included after two-stage screening. Inter-rater reliability: κ = .99 (title and abstract screening) and κ = .90 (full-text screening). Inductive thematic synthesis was applied, with study quality assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The hypothesized framework served as a sensitizing lens only after themes were developed. Results Four analytical themes were identified: (1) psychological internal barriers ( n = 22; 73.3%), including internalized homophobia, expected rejection, and identity concealment; (2) interpersonal stigma and discrimination ( n = 25; 83.3%), including hate speech, family rejection, and identity erasure; (3) sociocultural and legal constraints ( n = 14; 46.7%), including religious-legal condemnation and conservative norms; and (4) structural platform and algorithmic barriers ( n = 18; 60.0%), including context collapse, algorithmic invisibility, and over-moderation. Most studies spanned several themes, suggesting possible mutual reinforcement. Conclusions Barriers to SMY identity exploration appear layered and interdependent and are not well captured by any single theory. Evidence was mostly qualitative and cross-sectional, and confidence in findings was not formally graded. The hypothesized framework, formalized as six testable propositions, can guide empirical testing and intervention.