Kids speak their minds about race — Transcript

We're continuing our 360 special report, Kids on Race, The Hidden Picture.

Its aim is to study children's attitudes on race and understand how and why they formed their opinions.

We teamed up with renowned child psychologist, Dr. Melanie Killen, to try to design this study.

Now, take a look at this: Killen and her team showed 13-year-old children this picture.

and asked them to describe what was happening, questions like, what's happening here, are these children friends, and would their parents want them to be friends?

Now, the picture is designed to be ambiguous, what's happening is in the eye of the beholder.

Then they showed them this picture and asked the same questions.

Now, the only difference between the two pictures, the race of the kids was flipped.

Both white and African-American children were tested, and the psychologist showed a similar set of pictures to six-year-olds.

At our request, they also asked kids open-ended questions about race to understand how it plays into their own lives.

And as you'll see, the responses were raw.

Some of the experiences they describe are shocking.

In our first report, we told you that when testing six-year-olds, the research showed an overwhelming majority of white kids were negative about interracial friendships.

The majority of black children, on the other hand, were positive.

But we discovered a lot changes from childhood to adolescence.

Take a look.

The study found when six-year-old African-American children were asked about interracial friendships, the majority responded like this.

Carrie was trying to help her.

And how much would they like it if the two were friends?

Um, really like it.

But watch how they respond by age 13.

Carrie, she's a bully, so she pushed Abby.

Do you think that Chris and Alex are friends?

No, not really.

The optimism we heard from young black children fades with age.

At age six, 59% of black children think the two kids in the picture are friends.

By 13, a total flip, 63% do not think they're friends.

Which matches white teens' attitudes.

Our expert says experiences like 13-year-old Jimmy's of rejection begin to explain the disappointing trend.

He says a white friend's mom forbade her son to be friends with him.

They end up to say because it's because you're black, so you can't hang out.

Her and her son.

Oh, so she kind of very openly said that the reason why her son could not hang out with you and your family was because you guys are black.

Yeah.

Because of their skin.

Dante was bullied so badly because of his race, he had to change schools.

I've been bullied for like the way I looked and the way of my skin at my previous school that I went to.

And they just kept on bullying me and I didn't like it.

I just asked them to stop like over and over again.

And then I tried to like, I tried not to break.

Mhm.

But I couldn't like hold on anymore.

So I asked my mom, can I leave?

Peer interactions are way to understand.

Our expert, Dr. Killen, says the decline happens because they've been given a sobering reality check on race.

They're getting a lot of negative feedback through elementary school and adolescence.

And I think if you get that, have that kind of experience and you have it repeatedly over a number of years, your optimism is going to decline.

Because you've been told, you know, you really don't belong here, you're really not part of us.

Dr. Killen also says anxiety about interracial dating from both black and white parents can have a profound effect on how their kids view friendships.

Parents of young children do often send messages about, we can all be friends, be friends with everybody.

Um, you know, they do send a positive messages.

But by adolescence, they start getting more nervous about this and they start thinking, well, you should be friends with people like you or like us.

How are you?

I'm so glad.

Soldad O'Brien asked some kids about the issue after it came up during their tests.

Do you think your parents would be fine if you decided to start dating a black girl?

Brought her home?

Um, honestly, my parents probably wouldn't be too happy because if I was to marry a black girl.

You're connected to their family now and.

Who knows what her family is really like.

So they probably wouldn't be that excited about it.

Probably not.

Shante admitted anxiety and a double standard for interracial dating in her family.

If I were to date a white guy, a lot of people wouldn't really have a problem with that.

But if my brother were to bring home a white girl, you know, there's, there's definitely going to be some, you know, some, um, some controversy.

From whom, your parents or you?

From me.

From, from me.

Really because I think it's more of a problem for people when a black man brings home a white woman because it's been like that for years.

So it would matter to you.

I think, I think it would, you know, unless, of course, she were not to act, I guess, so, quote unquote, white.

What does that mean?

You know, flip my hair, oh my God, you know, that's so ghetto.

No.

No.

There was some good news in our results as well.

The racial balance of a school can make a major positive difference on how white kids view race.

The study tested kids from majority white, majority black, and racially mixed schools.

The difference was remarkable.

Students in majority white schools were the most pessimistic about race.

Only 47% think their parents would approve of kids from different races being friends.

In racially diverse and majority black schools, 71% are positive about it.

The reason, according to Dr. Killen, is friendships.

There's almost nothing as powerful as having a friend of a different racial ethnic background to reduce prejudice.

You have that experience that enables you to challenge stereotypes.

So you feel like you're just.

Samantha attends a majority black middle school.

My grandparents have a lot of, um, like they're very racist against African-Americans.

And like other races.

But it's 2012, so they have to.

Like push that aside.

And they'll be like, no, that that's wrong to be.

You you want to stick with your own race.

And I'm like, no, I'm friends with everyone.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.