'I get scared that cops might beat me up': Eye-opening video sees 12-year-olds from all backgrounds sharing frank and shocking views about how racism affects their lives 

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Racism is far from a 'grown-up' problem, as one group of 12-year-olds prove in a heartbreaking new video produced by New York City public radio station WNYC.

Produced for a series called Being 12, the four-minute clip - titled What Are You? - sees students from two Manhattan middle schools discussing how racism and stereotypes have negatively impacted their lives.

The multiracial sampling of students share their own experiences, fears, and ideas about 'what it's like to grow up in such racially charged times'.

Sad truth: An eye-opening video from the WNYC series 'Being 12' explores 'what it's like to grow up in such racially charged times; this African American girl said that people expect her to talk 'ghetto'

Colorful world: This 12-year-old Ecuadorian said she was teased for bringing Ecuadorian food to school, and it made her feel bad to be different

The video begins with the children introducing themselves with background information. One girl says she's from Haiti, a boy says he is Muslim, and another girl ticks off her heritage as Indian, British, Scottish, and American.

'I am an African American adopted girl. Only child. And I live with my two dads,' says a braided girl wearing a Star of David necklace, before launching into her own personal stories of encountering racism against her: 'People sometimes think that I'm supposed to talk "ghetto" or whatever that is.'

Though she is only 12, the girl also faces unfair stereotypes when she is is looking for new clothes .

'Just this weekend, I went with my friend to Urban Outfitters and we were shopping, and I really wanted to try on this dress, and this lady that was just, like, there, she was kind of watching me,' she says. 'And [I'm] just like, um, I'm not gonna steal it or anything.' 

Another girl, whose parents are from Venezuela, says she faces similar attitudes because of her skin color.

'Because I'm Hispanic or Latino, I can't have a lot of money?' she asks incredulously. 

His identity: This boy said that, even though he is biracial with an African American father, he is often told that he is 'not black'

Scared kid: At only 12, this African American boy feels he has to fear police, because they might assume he is doing something wrong because of the color of his skin

She also discusses the hurtful comments she's dealt with at school, recalling the time she was sharing Venezuelan food with her classmates.

'They were like: "What is that? Ew,"' she says. 'I cried. I felt like, there's something wrong [with] where I'm from, like maybe it's bad. Like, I'm different.'

And she isn't the only one at her school that has been a target of racism. Some students, she says, have to field off racist comments that don't even apply to them - making them all the more racist.

'You have these kids that are Ecuadorian, and they get made fun of because they look "Mexican", she says, adding air quotes. 'And they get told on a daily basis, "Oh, you like tacos?" "Oh you like churros?" "How come I saw your mom on the corner selling icees?” Like I feel bad for them, personally, 'cause I'm like, wow... Even though they tell them, "I'm not Mexican, I'm Ecuadorian", they still get teased.'

Another African American girl who says people assume she's uneducated because of her race remembers a particularly outrageous outing in which a dining establishment implied that her family might be thieves.

'When I was younger I went with my family to a restaurant and they made us pay in advance, just in case we didn't pay afterwards,' she says. 'That was kind of upsetting.' 

Not fair: While eating out with her family, this girl's parents were made to pay first, then eat - in case they tried to leave without paying

Everyone's affected: This girl said that 'white privilege' makes her feel guilty even though it isn't her fault

But perhaps the most heartbreaking revelation is not that these children, in their short lives, have already faced hurtful comments, teasing, or unfairness while going about their business. It's that they feel reason to fear violence against them.

'I feel a little scared if I just walk down the street,' says one African American boy. 'You know, cops might just think I'm doing something bad, and then if I try to explain to them [that I'm not], they won't listen and they'll just start beating me up and doing terrible things to me.'

Of course, not every child in the clip who has experienced racism or its effects is dark-skinned. One light-skinned freckled boy in a bow tie says: 'I'm biracial. I have an African American father and an Irish American mom.

'I think there's this kind of anxiety that comes with being biracial. Like, that kind of eats away at you. Like, almost that you have to prove yourself, that you're one or the other,' he says. 'For example, I hear the phrase 'you're not black' all the time.'  

Bright idea: Cops should be hired from within the neighborhoods they are serving, suggested this boy who describes himself as Dominican, Puerto Rican, and black

Diverse city: The children in the video are all of different races; this girl describes herself as Indian, British, Scottish, and American

A blonde girl in braces has seen the negative way that racism has hurt those around her - and doesn't like what their disadvantages mean for her. She describes how white privilege means that she - and people who look like her - might get treated with more respect, be trusted more, or be viewed with higher expectations. 

'Like, [they think] you might be smarter, or you might be wealthier because you're white,' she says, but adds that this unfair advantage makes her uncomfortable: 'It makes me feel guilty sometimes, even though it's not my fault. Like I feel guilty for having a privilege I don't deserve.'

One boy, who says he's 'three things' - Dominican, Puerto Rican, and black - thinks he has a solution for some of the country's current problems with racism.

'If I was ever the mayor or someone who controls the policemen, I would want to go out and look in the neighborhoods where there are people that are very friendly, so you can pick them - instead of these guys that are doing all this training,' he says. 'It's better to pick people [who're] more minded with the community than just pick some new guy.'